Like Branches in a River
by 2shy the Shippy
Summary: Modren AU. Arya Stark had a privileged life with a loving family and a great best friend, but there were times where she felt horribly alone and misunderstood. There were her expectations vs. harsh realities. After being sent away to camp Wholistic Core, she meets a boy named Gendry Waters who understands her in a way that no one else ever had. Summary subject to change.
1. Past and Pending

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, so don't sue me.**

A masculine voice yelled out a play as the players got into place and waited for the ball to be hiked. They began to move around in organized chaos as one team tried to help their player score a touch down and the other tried to prevent it with a tackle. There was a mixture of playfulness and seriousness in the air as the game took place. It was obvious that only very few knew what they were doing which made Arya cringe. There was bad, and then there was shouldn't be playing at all.

Intently, Arya watched the pick up game from the sidelines and found that she enjoyed it despite most of the players lacking a basic understanding of football. As if it was second nature, she mouthed the plays that were being run and corrected the mistakes while she watched. Her brother Bran looked to have potential, but he seemed to overthink and second-guess himself. Jon and Robb moved around the field with confidence and their presence commanded attention. In addition to their speed and strength, they were incredibly intelligence and thought quickly on their feet.

Behind Arya, Sansa and her friends spoke about boys, clothes, and gossiped about their peers. Occasionally, there would be uproar of laughter before a series of soft whispers. Of course, it was all to get the boys attention because, apart from Arya, none of the girls there were interested in watching the football game. They were only there to be seen. Personally, Arya could have cared less for boys. She thought that they were entitled, sexist idiots. The only thing she envied about them was their endless freedom and they weren't scrutinized as much as girls.

After the game ended, Arya walked over to her brothers and watched the older two teach Bran the proper throwing technique. Bran tried to mimic his brothers, but kept failing miserably every time he threw the ball. No matter how much Bran tried to follow their directions, he repeatedly missed his target. Arya laughed to herself and shook her head.

She grabbed a stray ball off of the ground, placed her fingers in the correct position on the ball, squared her shoulders, and threw the ball. The ball hit the target dead in its center as she mischievously grinned before looking at Bran, and then walking back to the bleachers. Bran audibly groaned.

"I'm never going to get this," he complained as he dropped the ball to the ground.

Jon picked up the ball and handed it to Bran. "Yes, you are," he assured. Jon then tried to show Bran the proper technique again while he used himself as an example.

Melancholy crept in Arya's heart as she watched her brother's interact. It was times like these that reminded her how much of an outsider she was in her family. Arya was 100% positive that her family loved her, but they didn't know how to respond to her. She acted too much like a boy for her mother and Sansa to understand her and Arya would always be a girl in the mind of her brothers-they couldn't treat her like one of them guys. Arya was in a lose-lose. Her father was the most understanding, but even then, there were times where her behavior baffled him as well.

When Arya was younger, she used to ask if she could play football with the guys. Her brothers wouldn't mind playing with her, but the other boys had refused because she was a girl. Robb and Jon explained to her that the boys were afraid to hurt her since girls weren't as strong as guys, but Arya knew better: they were afraid of being beaten and embarrassed by a girl. They didn't mind teasing girls and making fun of them, but they sure as hell hated to lose to them. Despite her brothers playing football with her, it was also apparent that they had reservations about her playing as well. Although Arya disagreed with their sexist mindset, she knew that her brothers were the only ones with her best interests at heart. It still didn't make it any less infuriating that they tried to coddle her because she was a girl, but at least, they did it for what they believed to be the right reasons.

Over time, Arya found herself annoyed with her family's treatment of her. They believed that her behavior and interests weren't appropriate because it didn't fit the restrictive gender roles of what a female was supposed to be. She didn't understand it. They all spoke about how they wanted the best for her and for her to be happy, but they continuously questioned the things that made her happy, which led to her feeling bad about having interest in those things. Although she pretended not to care at times, she really did. She wanted her family to accept her for who she was like they did with the other siblings.

A recognizable laugh permeated the air and Arya searched for the person it belonged to. In no time, she found Sansa laughing at one of her thousands of admirers before coyly smiling. As the boy handed her a flower, she wildly blushed. Inwardly, Arya gagged and felt slightly sorry for the guy. Sansa wouldn't be Sansa if she didn't eat up that lovey dovey I-got-a-crush-on-you shit up, but, ultimately, Arya knew better: her sister wouldn't date this guy. Oh, he was sweet and charming, but he lack confidence—swagger. Sansa seemed to enjoy being around guys who demanded attention and this guy wasn't that type of person.

Sansa was beautiful, smart, funny, and bubbly. Of course, guys were drawn to her like the flame her hair resembled. And, of course, they were going to get burned.

Her older sister didn't understand why Arya didn't behave like most girls. It was obvious that the two sisters were as different as night and day. For a while, Arya could see unspoken questions swirling in Sansa's eyes, but she remained silent. Arya supposed that Sansa thought either she would eventually understand her younger sister or that Arya would grow out of her behavior. But, Sansa never did understand and Arya never grew out of her behavior. One day, Sansa finally voiced her thoughts:

_Sansa looked in the mirror as she carefully applied her lip-gloss. When she when she rubbed her lips together as she slowly twisted the top on the small tube before placing it in her purse. Noises from Arya's portable game filled the car when Sansa finally asked, "Do you want to be a boy?" She stared straight ahead._

_Arya continued to play her game before momentarily giving Sansa an unbelieving look._

"_No," the younger girl denied. "God, you're so stupid."_

_Sansa gasped as she immediately whipped her head around._

"_I am not stupid—don't call me that," Sansa cried._

"_Then don't ask stupid questions." Arya glared at her game. She refused to look at Sansa because she didn't want her sister to see how much her question had hurt her._

_Sansa's concern for her sister stemmed from the fact that she believed guys weren't interested in Arya because she dressed and acted like a boy. Besides not having any interest in girly things (or wearing them), Arya wasn't pretty anyways. She didn't have Sansa's natural beauty or guys drooling over her. There was a reason she was called Arya horse face and Arya underfoot. Even if she did dress up, it wouldn't change the fact that she was ugly. What was the point in trying to look nice if people didn't think you were nice to look at in the first place. Arya rather be unnoticed than the object of some guy's attention, which was not going to happen anyways. _

"_What do you expect me to think," Sansa began. "You wear boys clothes, act like a boy, and show no interest in boys."_

"_So, your logical conclusion is that I want to be a boy and like girls—you think I am a lesbian?" Arya's tone was mocking and laced with condescension to which Sansa ignored._

"_I don't know," Sansa shrugged. "I just want to understand you. We've never really seen eye to eye on many things. Your behavior confuses me and you could care less for my girly-ness."_

_Arya bit her lip and glanced at her sister. "Sansa, I am a tomboy. That just means I like the same things as boy not that I want to be one or that I like girls. I don't want to be a boy and I don't like girls. _

_Softly, Sansa asked, "Is there a guy you have a crush on?"_

_It was clear that Sansa was trying to find a way to bond with Arya, but she was done with this conversation. Arya thought that if Sansa really wanted to bond with her, she would ask her what her interest were. But, Sansa didn't work that way. She tried to make things fit into her understanding of the world. It was either this or that. There was never any middle ground with her. _

"_No," Arya answered sternly. The tone of her voice indicated that the conversation was over."_

There were a few more attempts on Sansa's behalf to figure out her younger sister, but they were all disasters as well. The more time passed, the more apparent it became that Sansa may not ever comprehend who her sister was. But, Arya no longer cared.

When the Stark kids arrived home, Arya went to her room and played online games. She had cleared a few more levels and was working on a game high in points when someone knocked on her door.

"What," she yelled without looking from her screen.

"It's Jon," her brother yelled through the door.

"Go away," she responded as she continued to play her game.

Jon jiggled her handled and discovered that it was locked.

"Don't be like this, Arya," Jon said quietly.

"I wouldn't be if you hadn't signed up for the fucking army," Arya pounded on her computer keys.

"Arya, watch your language," the admonished girl rolled her eyes as she scored a game high. "I just want to talk to you."

"Funny, you had all the time in the world to talk to me after you signed up for the army, but you waited until the day before you were leaving to tell me." Jon had announced that he was leaving for the army on their way back home. He had spoke to their father about it, but remained tight-lipped about his new career from the rest of his family.

Despite her better judgment, she opened the door.

"Hell, Robb got an internship at dad's job and he can't shut up about it," her eyes were teary and forlorn. "But, you got a job where you could lose your life at any second and didn't tell anyone, but dad about it."

Jon pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he wiped his sister's eyes, and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I was afraid of how you guys were going to take it."

"It doesn't matter, you should have said something sooner."

"I know," he admitted. Jon picked his up from the floor, and then opened it. He pulled out an autographed football. "Courtesy of the Winterfell Direwolves."

"Seriously," Arya gasped.

"Seriously," Jon repeated as Arya threw herself back in his arms. She then took the ball from his hands and stared at it in pure amazement.

"Don't think this means that I've forgiven you." Arya read all of the names on the ball and she tenderly held her new gift.

Jon smiled tightly. "I don't." He gave her another hug. "I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go, kiddo."

Arya bit her lip and looked down as hugged her ball. "I know."

Gently, Jon placed a hand on Arya's chin and made her look at him.

"Everything's going to be alright, Arya," he reassured.

"No, it isn't," she said plainly before going to lie on her bed. Jon left Arya to her solitude.

The next day, Arya slept in until the afternoon.

She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

"Welcome to the land of the living," her mother quipped as she brought a cup of coffee to her lips.

Her mother hated when Arya woke up late. Catelyn believed in making use of every minute in your day—this explained one of the reasons why Sansa was her favorite. Arya just wanted to be young. She wanted to have fun, get dirty, and sleep in late. But, mostly, she was still upset about Jon leaving.

Arya rolled her eyes and began to eat her cereal.

"I know you are upset about Jon leaving; we all are, but you'll see him again." Catelyn gave a stiff smile to her daughter as a way of reassurance.

"Mom, don't," Arya began. "It's not as if you liked Jon when he was here, so don't try to pretend you did to make me feel better."

"Arya, sweetie, you don't understand," her mother defended as she reached for her youngest daughter hand. Arya quickly snatched it away before her mother could touch her.

"You're right: I don't." The two sat in silence for a moment. "But, you were the one who made him join the army."

" I did not make Jon join—"

"Yes, you did," Arya interrupted. "If you hadn't acted like a bitch to him his whole life, he wouldn't have left."

"Arya!" Anger filled Catelyn's eyes as she barely kept her temper in check. "You go to your room right. I refuse to be spoken to in such a disrespectful tone. I don't know who you got your bad manners from."

Arya didn't move as she looked at her mother. "Well, I learned from the best," she gave her mother a pointed look.

Catelyn slammed a fist on the table, and then pointed to the door that led to the stairs. "GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!"

For the rest of the afternoon, she stayed in her room uninterrupted. Although she knew her mother told her siblings not to bother her, she locked her door just in case and played her music loudly. Her time was spent between reading books, sports magazines, buying new music, and playing online games.

Most of the time, she played online games though. She and Mycah made sure to find teams that weren't crowded, so both of them could join. Mycah wasn't as good as she was, but he was fun to play with, which was all that mattered to Arya. He was better at cooking and enjoyed reading, but only played games and sports because Arya liked them. That's what best friends did. When he wanted someone to help him cook (while his parents monitored them) or try out the food, Arya offered her assistance.

Mycah was the only one who didn't judge her and accepted her for who she was. He didn't care that she was better than him in most things and offered his help whenever she needed.

"Hey, Mycah, can you come over tomorrow," Arya asked in her mic while she shot an opponent.

"Sure," he agreed without hesitation. "For what?"

"To play some football." There was a knock on her door. "I have to go; I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right, bye," Mycah said before hanging up.

Arya put her computer on sleep and cut off her music before going to the door. She opened the door expecting to see her mother, but instead, her father stood on the other side.

"Dad," Arya said in surprise.

"Mind if I come in?" Ned's arms were folded across his chest as he raised an eyebrow. Even though his statement was phrased as a question, Arya knew that he only asked as a courtesy.

The young girl opened her door completely to let her father in. Ned followed Arya into her room as she picked up a stationary chair for her father to sit in and she took the one with wheels. The chairs were placed to face one another and the two sat down.

Father and daughter sat in silence for a moment as Ned collected his thoughts. Both he and Catelyn were reserved people, but Arya voiced her thoughts on a daily basis, damn the consequences. Every since Arya was a little girl, she had always been passionate and said what was on her mind when she deemed necessary. She had an even hard time censoring her mouth the issue was incredibly important to her. As proud as he was of Arya, he had no idea where her passion came from or her outspoken nature. She was the wildcard of the family for sure.

Although he would never admit it aloud, Arya was his favorite. Ned loved all of his kids and would do anything for them, but he connected to his youngest daughter in a way that he hadn't connected to his other kids. Despite her loner nature, he could see that she wished to be understood and did want friends, but she refused to compromise who she was to become someone she was not. It was something that drew Arya to Jon over the years. The two of them were looking for a place where they belong—where they made sense.

"Arya, I understand that you were upset about Jon leaving, but that does not give you the permission to disrespect your mother even if you believe Jon left because of her," Ned began. Arya's expression was ambivalent, which wasn't surprising considering her nature. She did feel sorry for calling her mom a bitch, but at the same time, she felt her mother mistreated Jon for far too long. "She is still your mom and you have to respect her even if you don't want to."

"Respect her," Arya scoffed. "She doesn't even respect Jon. She always makes him feel like an outsider even though he has lived with us ever since he was born—before I was born. Don't you all always say 'treat others how you want to be treated?' "

Ned inwardly groaned. Of all of their children, Arya loved using their words against them the most. If you say 'do as I say and not as I do', she'll respond with 'but you also say that actions speaks louder than words.' She knew how to argue her case and simultaneously frustrate you with her non-stop persistence. If she ever did get married, it would take a man who knew how to go head to head with his daughter.

"I know, Arya, but having Jon around is difficult for your mom, so I wish you could be more understanding," he explained in a soft tone.

Arya crossed her legs, and then her arms. "But, why is she mad at him, you were the one who cheated. Jon didn't ask to be created, so why should he suffer the consequences?"

A regretful expression crossed Ned's face. "I'll admit, what I put your mother through was wrong and even her treatment of Jon is wrong, but I expect more of you." He placed a hand on Arya's shoulder. "You are an incredibly bright young girl and more mature than most 13 years olds your age, despite your outspoken nature, but you need to treat your mother better and I am not referring to just yesterday. I know you love her, so start showing her. And as right as you may be about what I did, Arya, you are not the parent, but the child. I do not have to discuss or explain my actions to you."

Ned stood up and opened his arms for a hug.

Arya tightly wrapped her arms around her father. "What is my punishment?"

"The is the first and last time I'll let what you did slide, but next time I won't be so understanding, okay?" Arya shook her head in agreement before her father placed a kiss on her head. "Tomorrow, my boss and his family will be having dinner with us, so make sure to be home a little early to wash up and put on some nice clothes."

"Okay," Arya said softly.

The following day, Arya got up early and ate breakfast with her family. Quietly, she ate her food as she listened to the chatter around the table. Sansa asked Robb about his internship and Bran and Rickon were discussing an anime cartoon. Her parents were having a conversation about Robert Baratheon, her dad's boss.

"Are you sure you have no clue why he is coming by to see you?" It was odd to Catelyn that Robert would not just visist Ned, but have dinner with him as well. He was the kind of man who enjoyed going out for drinks and eating dinners at fancy restaurants.

"Cat, you never know with Robert. He could just want to come by for dinner with his family or it could be something else," Ned shrugged and stuffed some eggs in his mouth. "You seem to think I know what is going on in Robert's head."

"Well, you two were close friends once upon a time," Catelyn took Ned's plate and put some more food on it, and then sat it back down in front of him.

"Once upon a time," he stressed. "The last time we really had a good talk was when Robb was an infant. Every since then, we've both been busy living our lives and running businesses—we just became too busy for one another."

The conversation then transitioned onto another topic as Arya picked at her food.

Mycah had to cancel on her because his grandparents were in town for the day, so Arya went to the park with Rickon. She read a book as he played on the slide and monkey bars. Once Rickon started to pester her about playing with him, they took started to race on the swings to see who could go the highest or they jumped off to see who could go the furthest. After that, they took turns spinning each other around on the tire swing to see who could get the dizziest.

After they left the park, Arya bought the both of them ice cream they decided to wander around the neighborhood. Eventually, they ended up back and home and decided to go swimming in the lake in their backyard. They could only swim for an hour before they had to get dressed for their guest.

"Arya, do you mind wearing this for tonight," Caelyn asked as she handed her daughter a dress. Her daughter took the dress without complaint and looked at it.

"Okay," she agreed. As Arya was walking away, she hesitated. "I'm sorry for calling you—you know…that." Regret colored Arya's face even though she did not agree with her mother's treatment of Jon.

"I don't appreciate being called such a foul word," Catelyn clasped her hands together in front of her body. "But, apology accepted."

Arya gave her mom a small smile.

"Did Sansa do your hair?"

"Yes," Arya touched her hair insecurely.

Catelyn tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "It looks nice…you're going to look great tonight."

The young girl stared at her mother blankly and said nothing.

Dinner turned out to be a disaster or, at least, for Arya it was. She hated the Baratheons. She hated Robert Baratheon, Cersei Baratheon, and especially Joffrey Baratheon. The younger two kids were all right, but the others were just the worst. Robert was a drunk who kept looking at her because she looked like her deceased aunt Lyanna, which made her feel uncomfortable. Cersei looked down upon them because she was a stuck up rich bitch. And Joffrey was a snide jackass who thought that he was better than them.

To add another cherry on top: the Baratheons were spending the night in their guesthouse.

Mrs. Baratheon didn't think the hotels were good enough for their family to stay in and the Starks guesthouse as "just" a step above the hotel. If she had her way, they would have left that same exact night.

Arya just didn't have the energy to argue with her parents over something she knew she couldn't prevent. She was still upset about Jon leaving and on thin ice with her parents with the whole "bitch" fiasco. They may have not punished her, but she didn't want to push any more buttons. So, she went straight to her room and went to bed. You can't get in trouble if you are sleep.

Mycah arrived to her house around ten in the morning. Arya had texted him to come by and see Nymeria, who had just gotten out of the hospital. She had been hit by a car and severely injured. Her best friend adored her wolf and was upset that Nymeria had gotten hurt. Despite the severity of the injuries, Nymeria had made a full recovery and they two teens sat around her and talked for a while.

Two in the afternoon, the two finally started playing football in the backyard. Arya outplayed Mycah, as usual, and he didn't care, as usual. Despite being bad at sports, Mycah actually did try, which Arya liked. At least, he tried to make it fun for her.

When Mycah playfully tackled her was when everything turned to shit.

Arya paced her room back and forth with her hands balled into fists. She was absolutely fuming.

After Mycah tackled her, Joffrey had come over to them acting like tough shit, especially since he had been trying to impress Sansa. Mycah and Arya tried to explain to the Baratheon boy that they had been playing around, but Joffrey tried to fight Mycah for "picking" on a girl. After it was clear that Mycah had no clue how to fight and was at a clear disadvantage, she stood up for him and punched Joffrey in the eye.

Joffrey pretended to be some innocence bystander and Sansa kept her mouth shut about the whole ordeal, which resulted in Mycah's father getting fired from Baratheon corporations since he didn't know how to control his kid. Arya was put on punishment for the rest of the summer to appease Robert.

Her father knocked on her door as he opened it.

"Can you please leave, dad," Arya requested of her father.

"I know you are upset, sweetheart, but what was I supposed to do," Ned genuinely asked. "I believe you, but that's my boss."

"And I am your daughter!" Arya yelled as tears formed in her eyes. "You're supposed to take my side."

Ned was upset by his daughter's state of distress.

"Arya, life isn't that simple. I made the best decision possible in the situation I was put in. I know you hate my decision, but I am the one who had to make it. Do you think it was easy for me? But, I had to. Being adult means making the hard decisions even when it pains you to do so."

"Even if the hard decisions are overkill," Arya sarcastically asked. She was not upset at the fact that she got punished, but the severity of her punishment and Mycah's father being fired.

"Sometimes we have to make extreme decisions in order to maintain the peace." As smart as Arya was, Ned could see that she had a lot of learning to do. Life wasn't about what you wanted or thought was right and fair—it is harsh and is about compromise.

"Or maybe you decided to quickly."

"Maybe," he agreed to placate her, but she didn't know Robert like he did. Suddenly he announced, "Mr. Baratheon needs me in King's Landing."

"What?" Arya snapped her head to look at her father. "You're leaving us?"

Ned looked to the floor. "We're leaving to go to King's Landing." By the tone of his voice, it was apparent that there wasn't any room for compromise. "Based on my discussion with Robert, it seems as if I am going to be there a while and I don't want to be without you, your mother, and siblings. Whether or not you like my decision, I am not splitting our family up."

With that, Ned left Arya to her own thoughts.

"Winter is coming," she mumbled to no one in particular.

TBC...

A/N: This is a romance/drama and will not be as dramatic as the series. Basically, this is the exposition and I hope things will flow better after this chapter. IF there are any typos, they will be fixed eventually.


	2. Puddle of Mud

Arya gently caressed Nymeria's hair as she solemnly stared at her direwolf. She tried to push the huge wolf away, but the animal wouldn't budge.

"Nymeria, go," she commanded and tried to force Nymeria to walk away, but the animal held its position. Nymeria then nuzzled Arya for a moment before lapping her owner's face with her huge tongue. Arya hugged her beloved direwolf as she rested her face in Nymeria's warm, soft fur.

The direwolf then walked backwards and stopped. She stared at Arya for a moment before turning around and walking to Mycah.

"I promise I'll take good care of her." Arya had to leave Nymeria with Mycah because she couldn't bring her to King's Landing. The Baratheons had a strict no pets' policy. Another reason to hate them. Her family wasn't even staying in their house—it was the guesthouse. She didn't understand why she couldn't bring Nymeria.

"Thanks, Mycah." The boy walked over to Arya and gave her a big hug. Although the Stark girl wasn't big on hugs, she received it anyways.

It wasn't just Nymeria—it was everything. It was Jon leaving without a proper heads up, Mycah's dad losing his job, her bullshit punishment, and being even more of a fucking outcast than she already was. For a fact, Arya knew that King's Landing was going to be worse than Winterfell as far as making friends went.

Her dad thought that moving to King's Landing would be a good opportunity for her to expand her horizons and meet new people, but he couldn't be anymore wrong if he tried. Parents only said shit like that to make their kids feel better about moving, but Arya wasn't naïve. Kids are kids no matter where you move. You either conform or they attack and ridicule you. The different were shunned and the conformists were embraced.

"Promise to call," Mycah gave her a small smile and Arya nodded.

After settling into their new home at King's Landing, Ned and Catelyn planned a family day to go tour the city. The city was nice, but Arya found it hard to be excited about the move or the new city. She didn't want to go out and meet new people. She didn't want a fresh start or a new chapter. Arya wanted her old life back. Things may have not changed all that much now, but they were going to and she knew it was going to be hell.

Once the sight seeing was over, Arya didn't leave her room except to eat meals with her family.

Arya started to read more books and joined sites that suggested books and online forums to discuss them as well. The books ranged from atrocious to phenomenal. Although she was an exceptional reader and could read levels about her grade, some of them were difficult for her, which was why she joined the forums. There were other books that were downright terrible and shouldn't have been published, let alone written in the first place.

"Do they even have a criteria anymore in order to get published," Arya mumbled to herself.

Without fail, she called Mycah everyday and they played online games and discussed music. Mycah was really into music and listened to everything. He would suggest a lot of unknown artists, songs, and records because he knew she would like it. Over time, Arya knew not to doubt him. Even if she didn't initially like the song, she eventually found herself enjoying it.

Other times, he did recommend well known artist and they would have discussions about what were the merits of a great song or artist. Arya may have not been as fanatical as Mycah, but she was no slouch when it came to music. Her music collection was broad even without Mycah's help and she knew her shit as well.

There were days she was completely engrossed with her online games and did nothing else.

Her parents had had enough of Arya shutting herself off to the world.

"Why do I have to go to this stupid dinner party," Arya complained.

"Because being in your room all of the time is unhealthy." Catelyn rinsed the plate as she spoke to her daughter. The older woman supposed that she was so critical of Arya because she saw some of herself in her. Arya was stubborn, rash, and opinionated—like Catelyn was when she was a girl. Of course, she was not as wild as Arya, but there were days that Catelyn saw who she used to be in her youngest girl.

Before she had met Brandon.

"But, I am on punishment, remember, mom?" Arya put on her best poker face. "I shouldn't be allowed to enjoy myself—even a little bit,"

Catelyn grinned at her daughter. "Yes, I know you are on punishment, but you have been in your room for far room long and there is more to life than those four walls."

"That stupid ass dinner party isn't one of them." Her mother gasped in offense before mock glaring at Arya. She was trying to get in trouble in order to escape the party.

"Well, since you are all about having adequate punishment, you're going to the party." Arya made a noise in disapproval.

"But, mom," she whined.

"But, mom, what?" Catelyn dared her to speak. "Your punishment is hardly a punishment. You can't complain about it, and then use it against your father and I for your benefit. How is staying in your room when you don't want to go outside in the first place and doing whatever you want considered a punishment?" An eyebrow was raised to indicate checkmate for Catelyn. "You don't want to go to the party because it would make you miserable like a punishment would, which is why you are going to this party."

Arya made a face in disgust. "But, isn't that a bad idea? You want me to meet new people and make friends. Since I will already dread being there, I will be poor company to keep."

A few dishes were put away before Catelyn turned around to face her daughter, and then put her hands on her hips. You could give Arya a map with the easiest directions to a location and she will find the most difficult way to get there. She just had to learn things her own way or no way at all.

"Then make sure you are excellent company to keep this weekend," Catelyn warned. "I don't understand why it is so hard for you to at least try and get along with other people."

"Because other people are idiots." Catelyn didn't say anything as she thought of what to say next.

Briefly, she rubbed her temples, and then looked at her daughter. "I worry about, Arya, that is all. Is it wrong of your father and I to want you to have a life outside of videogames, music, and the Internet? Is it wrong of us to want you to have more than one friend?" Arya opened her mouth to defend herself when Catelyn raised a hand to silence her. "I know I may never understand you, but I can see that you are lonely and no parent wants their child to feel lonely or alone. I just want you to be happy."

The sincerity in her mother's voice was palpable. Just like Sansa, her mother tried relating, but they didn't know how to connect to her. And if Arya was honest with herself, she didn't know how to relate to them either. The difference between her and Sansa and her mother was that they actually tried. But, she didn't.

"I am happy…. sometimes," she admitted. Catelyn slowly walked over to her daughter and hugged her. "But, it feels like I'm always the odd person out-like I'm trying to make myself fit where I don't belong. That makes me feel more alone than being cooped up in my room all day."

It was the most honest thing Arya ever said to her mother and they both knew it.

Catelyn went into the cabinet where they stored the wine glasses, pulled two of them out, and sat one in front of Arya. For a moment, she disappeared into the walk-in pantry and strolled back to the table with red wine. She filled one-fourth of Arya's glass, and then poured herself a glass.

Usually, her mother and father allowed their kids have wine on holidays and certain dinner parties they threw. This deviation from the norm was quite odd.

"We're going to have a drink together," Catelyn obviously stated. "And you are going to tell me about yourself. I mean really tell me." Arya looked at her wine before looking at her mother. "Go on. I wouldn't pour you a cup if I didn't intend for you to drink it."

Arya hesitantly sipped her drink. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Anything," her mother shrugged. "Tell me anything you want. I would love to hear it."

An hour later, the two Stark women giggled as Arya recounted one of her many stories. Interest colored Catelyn's face as she heard the vivid details of the adventures. There was cackling swirling in the air and tears falling down their eyes. Out of the blue, Arya asked:

"Do you ever wonder what life would have been like if Uncle Brandon lived?" A contemplative look set upon her mother's face and she grabbed her talking companion's glass and refilled it to the one-fourth mark again.

The question didn't seem to catch Catelyn off guard, but she wasn't expecting it either. It seemed as if the woman was gauging if she should talk about the subject or not.

"I did the first few years," she admitted.

"So, was dad like second best or something," Arya made direct eye contact as she spoke.

"No." Her smile was a musing one as she took a sip of her wine. "I wasn't interested in your dad at all. I thought he was far too serious and distant. He was cold and unapologetically direct. There was nothing inviting about him." A short pause, then, "But I couldn't have been more wrong."

Arya seemed hurt that Catelyn was not initially interested in her father, despite her mother admitting being wrong about him. Catelyn sensed her daughter's emotional response to her confession.

"Arya," she began. "How you see your father and how he behaves around us is completely different from how strangers see him and how he behaves around them." She sat her glass down and scooted closer to Arya. "Your father is a very deliberate man and the way I interpreted him is the way he wanted me to. And the same goes for you. He's this great, loving dad because he wants to be one. People don't act the same way around everyone; their behavior changes to fit that person or group. Ned's the same way. I only got to know his softer side because he eventually let me in."

"So what if Uncle Brandon had lived," Arya pushed. Catelyn then understood some of Arya's antagonistic behavior towards her in the last year. Her daughter believed that if her uncle had lived, she wouldn't be here, which is true. She wanted to believe that her parents chose each other out of love not circumstance. It surprised Cat, but she surmised that Arya wanted her existence to be more concrete than her mother's fiancée dying and her father being there.

Catelyn chose her words carefully. "The answer wouldn't bring you peace either way," she answered. "You question if you would have existed if Brandon had lived and we both know the answer, but life is a series of hypotheticals." Catelyn wanted her daughter to see the bigger picture. "You want to believe that you were meant to be here and you were, Arya, you were because if not, then you wouldn't be. What if my mother had never died? What if I dated my childhood friend Petyr when he asked me out? What if I went with my first choice of college instead of my second? What if my parents never met? Regardless of how you feel about these answers, that's all they are: hypotheticals. It doesn't change the fact that I love your father and we are still together 20 years later."

Slowly, she older woman picked up her glass and took a sip and Arya did the same.

"Hypotheticals will drive you insane," she sighed. "It drove me insane for a while. Gods knows it did." A longer sip was taken, and then she contemplated the hypothetical. "If he had lived, it would have been great at first. When he died, we were still in that honeymoon phase of our relationship and I overlooked important attributes that made long sustaining relationships. It would have fizzled and I would have been unhappy and stuck in a marriage that I had rushed into. And tragically in love with your father." Arya stared at her in disbelief. "I know people think I loved your father because I had to, which is partially true, but I fell in love with your father because of who he was. Like I said earlier, he's warm and kind with family and I think we would have gotten to know each other and that I would have realized my mistake. But, it would have been too late by then. Either way I would have done my duty."

Arya let out a small chuckle. "Duty," she repeated. "I guess Sansa is a younger you then," she remarked. "She's always going about how it is our duty to do this or that. No one wonder why two get each other so much." Catelyn could read the subtext: Arya was saying that Sansa was her favorite.

"Yes, I get Sansa, but you were more of a younger me than she is," Arya gave a disagreeing look. "Who do you think you get your stubbornness from or your opinionated nature? Not your father, that's for sure. We may not share certain in things in common, but you are more like me than you realize, Arya," she pointed at her daughter and smirked. "Contrary to what you think, I don't play favorites or have any either. It's just easier for me understand Sansa than it is you. I love all of my children equally. And I have favorite characteristics I enjoy in each of you."

Catelyn swallowed the rest of her drink and washed the glasses. After she was done, she dried them off and put them back in the cabinet.

"I enjoyed talking to you, Arya," her mother smiled warmly before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Our conversation has helped me get to understand you a little bit better. Thank you for talking to me."

With that, she exited the kitchen and left Arya to her thoughts.

Although her mother rescinded her dinner party punishment, Arya still went anyways. Catelyn said she didn't have to go since it had nothing to do with the family or business, but Arya wanted to give making new friends another go.

The Dayne family was hosting the dinner party. They seemed to be nice enough people Arya thought as her parents introduced her to them. Her father asked about King's Landing as far as the community and schools went, but the Dayne's didn't know much. They explained that they just owned a summerhouse and said that the crime was relatively low.

Arya smiled and laughed at the right jokes for a while before venturing away.

Despite her efforts, Arya quickly found out that the kids in King's Landing was worst than the kids in Winterfell. They took class and nobility very seriously as well as adhering to traditional gender roles. Also, they were incredibly snobby. The predictably of her peers no longer astounded Arya. She saw Sansa get along famously with everyone and Bran and Rickon were making great impressions as well.

Somehow she found herself outside trying to escape from the party. Simultaneously, she was overwhelmed by the people, but underwhelmed by their predictability. Perhaps she was the issue—she was a glitch in high society. Everyone got along and understood one another except for her. Mycah was the only one who she could relate and he didn't judge her and, despite their closeness, there was an empty void inside of her.

"Do you mind if I join you," Arya jumped slightly and turned to face the voice.

"Have you got any manners?" She asked incredulous as she looked at her guest Edric Dayne. "Besides, why are you asking? This is your house."

Edric bowed his head.

"Yes, but I wouldn't want to intrude upon your privacy," he said as way of explanation. "You seem to want to be alone."

"Really?" Arya proclaimed sarcastically. "Then why are you asking to join me?"

"Sorry, my lady." Edric uttered apologetically. "I will excuse myself." Edric turned to walk towards the mansion.

"Edric, wait." Arya said and the boy stopped in his tracks. "You can join me if only you don't call me my lady."

"That I can do," he agreed as he sat next to her. The Stark girl examined her new companion. He had light blonde hair and dark blue eyes. "You can call me Ned."

"Okay," she nodded. "My father's nickname is Ned."

"I know."

They didn't speak to each as Arya stargazed. She had found several constellations when Ned spoke.

"My birthday was last week," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh really," her tone was detached.

"Yeah, I turned 15."

"That's nice." Arya didn't care too much for her own birthday; she just wanted her presents.

"How old are you? That's if you mind me asking."

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen," he repeated.

"Yeah, my birthday is in December." Arya didn't know why she told him. It just seemed like something to say.

Ned skipped a couple rocks and Arya joined him. Whatever game they were playing, she was winning. A few rules had been added, which only made it harder for Ned. He was good at games and sports, but not naturally. He wasn't someone who just got the hang of something; he needed to practice.

"Do you want to go to my tree house?" Arya looked at the extravagantly crafted structure and nodded yes. They walked to the tree house in silence and Ned gestured to the rope ladder for Arya to go first. "Ladies first."

Arya rolled her eyes and she took off her flats and handed it to Ned. "No, you go first."

"It would be rude and impolite for me to go first," Ned pushed the ladder toward her.

"And it would be unladylike for me to go." She gestured towards her dress and Ned blushed. Arya hated to use the term unladylike, but it was the only way Ned would understand.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he stammered as he covered his eyes. "Uh…I promise not to look."

"Just go, Ned," Arya groaned, and then pushed him to go up the ladder. Grudgingly, the older boy complied and Arya followed after him.

The inside of the tree house looked like an office combined with a game room. It even had working electricity. There was a big screen TV mounted on the wall with a shelf beneath it that had a DVD player and movies. Arya whistled as she examined the place.

"And you only stay here for the summer," she asked without looking at him. "Do you have one back Starfall like this?"

"Yeah, it's bigger than this one," Ned replied.

"Cool beans," she said absentmindedly.

Ned turned on the TV as Arya continued to search his room. Unsurprisingly, he had cable and Internet in his tree house as well. It seemed as if they had similar interest in music, movies, and sports. She picked up a CD and showed it to Ned.

"You listen to 'Explosions in the Sky'?" The song _Slow Dance_ filled the room as she turned the volume to a moderate level. Ned had approved of her choice in song.

"Yeah," he sat on his beanbag chair and watched her as she continued to look around.

"Cool beans," she smiled at him.

Arya opened a cabinet and gasped.

"Ned, you bad boy, you," she said excitedly and, instantly, Ned knew what she was looking at.

"Arya, don't touch that," he went over to shut the cabinet doors. Arya stopped him.

"Why not?" She threw him a displeased glance before pulling out the items.

"Because you are too young for it," he explained as Arya throatily laughed.

"And you aren't?" Ned was quiet. "I thought so. Why do you have alcohol and cigarettes anyways? You seem like you're a stickler for the rules."

Ned's faced turned bright red.

"Aww…you were trying to rebel," they walked to the beanbags and sat down together. "You couldn't go through with it, could you?"

"How could you tell?" Arya held up the unopened package of cigarettes.

"Besides being unopened, it has been collecting dust."

Arya opened the whiskey bottle and poured her and Ned a glass, but not too much. She then opened the cigarettes and handed Ned one.

"I've never smoked before," he stated the obvious.

"Me neither," she shrugged, and then lit both of their cigarettes.

In an anxious manner, Ned puffed his cigarette, but didn't inhale and Arya glared at him.

"Are you serious?" She then cautiously inhaled her cigarette, and then coughed. Ned followed her lead and went into a coughing fit. "Quiet down," she shushed.

"I can't—" his coughing fit began again and Arya handed him his glass a whiskey. As the boy tried to contain his coughing, tears welled in his eyes. After Ned somewhat composed himself, he gulped down his drink and Arya quickly refilled his cup.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He shook his head up and down as he took another drag. The coughing wasn't a bad the second time. "So, why are you…you know?" He gestured to the cigarettes and whiskey.

"Every girl needs a rebellious side," she said as way of explanation.

"You look very pretty tonight," he said shyly. Arya had on a deep gray A-Line dress and her hair was done in a traditional Winterfell hairstyle with some loose curls. Arya side-eyed him before mumbling:

"Thanks." She didn't believe him, but she didn't want to continue the conversation either. Better to accept the compliment than talking about it any more than she wanted to.

They watched TV as they smoked, but really it was channel surfing. Arya had no interest in anything that was on and Ned was being a gracious host by letting her choose. He suggested shows and movies to watch, but Arya was dismissive of his suggestions.

"You don't seem like your thirteen." Arya raised her eyebrow. "I don't know…you seem older than that. You act older than me."

"That's because I can see how stupid everything and everythone are," Arya said as if it was common knowledge.

"Do you think I am stupid," he asked.

"Yeah, but I think everyone is stupid, so it doesn't matter." She finished her glass of whiskey and stopped Ned as he tried to pour her another cup. "I don't hang out with kids around my age, except my best friend Mycah and he lives in another city. So, I spend a lot of time around my older brothers. I watch a lot of TV and movies, read a lot of books—books for older kids, listen to kick ass music, and my parents treat me like a young adult rather than some stupid kid. So, it was a combination of things really. I observe people as well," she said offhandedly.

"I like it," Ned complimented.

"Thanks." The cigarette was deposited in her cup since she didn't wanted to be rude and leave it on his floor. As she was about to say something to Ned, he tried to lean in and kiss her, but she stopped him before he could. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," he stammered. "I just wanted to kiss you."

"God, you're such an idiot," she exclaimed as she picked up her shoes from the floor. He called after her as she descended the ladder, and then followed her.

"I'm so sorry, Arya. I didn't mean to offend you," he apologized profusely once he got to the ground. "It's just that…I like you and I thought that you liked me."

Arya laughed. "You thought that I liked you? I was just being nice. You were the one who came over and asked to sit next to me."

A pained expression fell upon Ned's face. Internally, she groaned.

"Look, Ned, I'm sorry for laughing and saying what I did. You are a nice guy, but I don't like you like that," she apologized. "And we just met each other like 40 minutes ago."

Ned scratched his head, and then nodded in agreement. It looked as if he was too embarrassed to talk about it. He changed the subject. "Let's find a way to get this smell off of us before you leave."

"Great idea."

There was a spare toothbrush that Ned gave to Arya and the brushed their teeth and tongues very thoroughly—in separate bathrooms, of course. Ned then gave Arya some dryer sheets to rub on her body before giving her perfume to spray on herself that his Aunt Ashara left at the house.

"If that doesn't work, then I don't know what else will other than washing and drying my clothes," Arya said as they walked into the kitchen. The teens ate some ice cream as they waited for the dinner party to end. The Stark girl still had no idea what Ned was thinking when he tried to kiss her. She didn't like boys or thought that they were icky, but she definitely was NOT interested in dating, kissing, or anything else.

"I know I tried to kiss you, but we can still be friends, right?" He took a scoop of ice cream and put it in his mouth as he stared expectantly at Arya.

"Of course, but please don't try to kiss me again."

"Okay." They shook hands on it.

Later on, as she buckled her seatbelt, her mom smiled at her.

"I see you made a friend." Arya could tell that her mother was excited.

"Yes, A friend." She emphasized. "The rest were terrible and he lives in Dorne, so I guess we are going to be pen pals."

"Still, two friends are better than one." Her daughter shrugged.

"And one is better than none."

Her father paid for Mycah to come down and visit her and Arya introduced him to Ned. The three of them were inseparable while Mycah was in town. After he left, their calls continued, but she spent more time with Ned. Besides the whole kiss fiasco, he proved to be a good friend. And he seemed to be happy to be invited into Arya's triangle of friends.

When school started, she didn't expect it to be any different than her time in Winterfell and it wasn't. Sansa got all of the attention as usual and she was ignored…as usual, which was fine. As she ate lunch by herself, she read books and did schoolwork, so she wouldn't have much to do when she got home. Everything was fine until Joffrey started trying to bully her. Keyword: trying. Arya refused to be bullied by anyone whether or not she had a shot in winning, which she always believed she did.

As the school year progressed, Joffrey's attempts increasingly worse and worse, as did her relationship with Sansa. The two had started to date before the summer ended and her sister defended everything Joffrey all while acting as if Arya was the instigator. Her perfect prince would never do such a thing. Arya had such a "hateful" heart and just wanted to make her life miserable by messing with her boyfriend.

The Baratheon's ran King's Landing and either people turned a blind eye or didn't believe Joffrey to be the shit Arya knew him to be. It was all too much to bear. Staying in her room wasn't an option because he only bothered her at school. Also, her parents wouldn't let her transfer schools or get homeschooled.

All hell broke loose in April.

Joffrey was eating lunch during the wrong period. It made Arya feel uncomfortable to be in the same room as Joffrey. Nothing good ever came when they were in the same room together whether or not other people were around them. Arya quickly finished her lunch and when she looked up, Joffrey was gone. She cursed herself for taking her eyes off of Joffrey. After she threw her trash away, she began to walk towards the exit when someone and their whole tray of food collided with her.

"My bad," the guy pretended ignorance. "I didn't see you right there." He slightly rubbed the food on Arya's shirt, and then walked away. Arya was furious. She saw red as she heard a few of her peers giggled. Suddenly, a cold drink was poured on her head.

By now, she was absolutely fuming.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She turned to the guy who poured the cold beverage on her. This had to be Joffrey's doing. Her fist was balled to her side and Arya was prepared to punch him, but she was also on the verge of crying. It was all too much. A new city, new school, Jon was still gone, and everything was shit. Could her life get any worse? She didn't want her classmates to see her cry.

She turned around and starting walking when, suddenly she was tripped and fell.

"Watch where you're going, horse face!" She heard Joffrey yell. Laughter erupted in the lunchroom.

Arya turned too see Joffrey get up from his place at the table and stand above her. Suddenly, she jumped up and pushed her tormentor. Joffrey staggered a bit and after he re-gained his balance, he angrily walked towards her as Arya got into a fighting stance. As if he could fight, Joffrey tried to punch Arya, but she dodged all of his attempts before landing some well placed hits herself.

Joffrey was doubled over and saw his friends to attack Arya and waved them off. Arya knew that if they had been alone, Joffrey would have let them, but they were in front of other people and he didn't want to seem weak.

Again, the Baratheon boy tried to hit her, but Arya gracefully maneuvered away from any intended hits. Joffrey threw himself at her and she responded by holding him tight and kneeing him in the gut.

In pain, Joffrey writhed on the floor as he squinched his eyes shut.

"Why are you guys just standing there?" He whined after he opened his eyes. "Fuck the bitch up!"

As both of the boys made their way towards her, she decided to attack one of them first before being attacked herself. Luckily for her, the guys had the same scrawny stature like Joffrey.

In quick succession, Arya gave a few sucker punches to one of the guys in the gut. The boys began to gasp as he fell to the floor. The other one wrapped his arms around her tightly and she responded by using all of her might to step on his foot, and then leaning forward to flip him over when the kid let his guard down.

Before she could gather herself, she felt some grabbed a huge chunk of her hair. Rather than struggle against this method of attack, Arya pushed her weight against her attacker and let them fall forward. As she got on her hands and knees, she saw that it was Joffrey. He tried to crawl away, but Arya grabbed him, turned him over, and crawled on top of him to immobilize him. She then began to land punches on his face.

"What where you are going, shit face!" She shouted at her sister's boyfriend. Blood curdling cries filled the cafeteria room as Arya released a year's worth of pent of anger. Joffrey stopped struggling and went limp. Only his head moved to signal that he was still conscious.

Arya got up and numbly stared at Joffrey. Blood dripped from her hand as she then looked around in the cafeteria. Everyone stared at her in shock and horror. She didn't care what they thought. What did they do when three boys tried to attack her? They stared and yell 'fight, fight'. Where were the teachers who were supposed to prevent it from escalating this far?

There was no resistance from her when the security guards apprehended her.

She waited for her parents in the principal's office.

As they spoke to the principal, she remained silent unless spoken to. It was explained that she would be suspended until all of the details were sorted as to what really happened.

The silence while in principal's office carried over from the car ride to the hospital. Arya's hand was experiencing excruciating pain and was swollen. Without speaking, it seemed to be agreed that her hand was broken. The x-ray confirmed it. Arya left the hospital with a cast and some papers on how to properly care for her hand.

"Arya, your father and I will talk to you about this when I come back," Catelyn said in a tight voice as she and her father exited the car. Ned was busy talking to Robert as he made his way to the front door. Her mother had to pick up Rickon from school.

"I know," Arya groaned.

"You know?" Catelyn said incredulously. "No, you don't know. You don't know anything," she fumed. "Do you realize how big the consequences of your actions are?"

Arya went to her room and locked the door. She didn't want to do anything or talk to anyone. It didn't surprise her that everyone thought that she was completely guilty of initiating the fight. She may have thrown the first punch, but she was provoked plain and simple.

Twenty minutes later, she went down stairs to make herself a sandwich and get a bottle of water to take with her medicine. It was too strong to take on an empty stomach. She was halfway finished with her sandwich when Sansa barged into the kitchen.

"You must really hate me, huh!" Sansa dropped her book bag and walked over to Arya.

"Sansa, leave me alone," Arya warned before drinking her water. "I'm not in a mood to talk."

"You're not in a mood to talk," Sansa said as she invaded her sister's personal space. "You just beat up my boyfriend in front of the ENTIRE school for no reason at all."

"Get out of my face." Arya gave Sansa a dark glare before getting up and putting her dishes in the sink.

"No," Sansa walked behind Arya and maneuvered her head so that her sister was looking at her. "I've been out of your face since school started. I've been out of your face so we wouldn't argue all of the time. But, that hasn't helped anything—it has only made it worse. Now I am in your face because you can't just bully and fight people without any consequences."

Arya balled her good fist and deeply exhaled. "I don't have time for this," she dismissed as she attempted to walk away.

"Then you better make time," her sister demanded as she grabbed Arya's arm. Arya snatched her arm out of Sansa's hold and whipped around to face her.

"You better keep your fucking hands off of me before I pound your face in like I did your beloved Joffrey," she threatened.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said fearlessly as she walked closer to Arya in order to use her height to intimidate her.

"Then you're a goddamn fool," Arya declared. "Your boyfriend and his friends weren't either and they ended up more bruised than me."

Fear colored Sansa's eyes briefly, and then she stood tall again. Arya walked away this time knowing that Sansa wouldn't grab her again.

"That's why you are going to end up old, bitter, and lonely." Sansa yelled behind her. "No one's going to love you—no one!"

Sansa followed Arya to the front of the house.

"I don't fucking care!"

"You don't care because you know it wouldn't make a difference if you did care." Sansa shouted back. "Mycah and Ned are only friends with you because they feel sorry for you. Poor Ned for was forced to be your friend by his parents and, well, Mycah wasn't forced to, but who wouldn't love being friends with a rich girl when she is desperate for friends and you get free stuff?" Sansa was looking to draw blood. "You think you are hot shit, Arya, but no one likes you. My bad, you already know that which is why you pretend not to care. You act as if you are misunderstood when, really, no one cares to understand. Why would they? You're angry all of the time and bully people. I really think you are adopted or some bastard like Jon," she spat. "And it's not like you are much to look at either…no wonder the boys stay away. At the rate you are going, you are bound to bloom into a full-blown mare soon. "

Arya could feel the tears coming, but her anger smothered the weaker reaction and she faced her sister.

"Well, I rather be a mare than a stupid piece of shit like you," she lashed out. "God, you're so fucking stupid, Sansa. You get the grades, but that's because you remember shit rather than understand it. Even a monkey can do it, but wait—a monkey is smarter than you. And you think you are better than me because you are prettier and because they guys pay attention to you?" Arya laughed in her sister's face. "They just want to fuck you, dumbass. Do any of them try and get to know you and the things you like? No, no they don't. They just buy you flowers and whisper sweet things and you melt. It's because they know if they are persistent enough, you'll spread your legs like elevator doors. All they have to do is push the right button. Isn't the only time Joffrey even shows the slightest bit of interest in you is for sex? 'Come on, Sansa, it's not that big of a deal'," she mocked. "Even he knows you are a dumbass. I mean that is the only way to explain way to explain it, right? Only a dumbass would treat a guy like a king when he treats her like shit, except when he trying to convince her to have sex."

"At least, I can get a boyfriend!" Tears pooled in Sansa's eyes as she looked at her sister.

"At least, I can get a boyfriend," Arya mocked. "Shut the fuck up talking to me, stupid ass cunt."

Her stomach dropped when she heard her mother gasp and father shout, "Arya!"

Loud sobs filled the air as Sansa cried on the couch. Arya groaned in disgust. She believed Sansa had no right to cry with all that shit she just said to her.

Unsurprisingly, her parents only her very last statement. Rich. Rich, indeed. Stoically, Arya listened as her parents yelled while they reprimanded her. They went on at length about how her behavior was unacceptable and that they couldn't allow this to go on. They said that thought King's Landing would have been beneficial for her and that she was making progress. She was too "uncontrollable" and not willing to get along well with others. Robert Baratheon wanted to press charges and put her in a juvenile detention center.

Arya heard about everyone feelings from Joffrey to Sansa to Cersei to Catelyn. Everyone had thoughts about the fight and what happened afterwards.

Ned had calmed Robert down when he said that he would take care of it.

Eight weeks later, she was packing for her extended stay at some behavioral rehabilitation center for teens called "Wholistic Core."

All of the things that Arya could take with her were packed, which included her clothes, toiletries, iPod, and a few other miscellaneous items. No phones and no laptops. Her father packed her things into the car before they ate breakfast. Arya hadn't spoke to Sansa since that day and Sansa didn't want to speak to her. Truth be told, she didn't speak to hardly anyone even Mycah and Ned, which may or may have had something to do with Sansa.

Her mother and father drove her to the airport as Arya gloomily watched the trees pass her by.

"I know you hate us for this," Ned began. "But, we're doing what's best for you."

"No, you are doing this for Robert," she pronounced Robert Baratheon's name in a snide tone.

"It is a solution that benefits both parties." Arya saw her father look at her through the rearview mirror. His eyes told her to tread lightly.

Catelyn turned around to face her daughter. "I don't know why you are so mad at us, Arya. If Robert had his way, you would be in a detention center right now. You should be thankful to your father and I for finding a suitable alternative rather than being angry at us."

Arya said nothing and continued to look at the swirl of trees.

Ned arranged for Arya's bags to be delivered separately from her when they got to the airport. It would be too much for her to carry all at once. Arya only had to carry two pieces of luggage, which was fine by her.

Before her parents waved her off through the gate, they tried to hug her, but she was unresponsive. As she was about to enter the gate, she stopped and turned around.

"I'm not angry at you all for punishing me." Arya gnawed at her lip. "I understand why you had to do it. I'm angry because after everything happened, no one ever asked me how I felt and what really happened. No one wanted to listen to me. I am angry because no matter what I have done, you all have ALWAYS listened to me. ALWAYS. And the one time I needed to be heard the most, you two were so busy trying to make Mr. Baratheon happy that you never heard me out." Tears welled in Arya's eyes as she spoke, and then she walked away.

"Arya," her mother called out, but Arya ignored her as she went through the gate.

It baffled Arya that her parents never truly spoke to her. They were obsessed with how their kids were feeling and would hear their side of the story before reacting. Even if the same outcome did happen, at least, they would have heard her out.

She supposed that her parents had been under a lot of stress. The school wanted to permanently expel her because of the severity of Joffrey's injuries, Robert wanted to press criminal charges and have her in juvie, and all of the other countless stuff that stemmed from her fighting Joffrey. Her parents were trying to fight the expulsion, but the school did not want Arya back on their premises and neither did Robert.

When everything had went down, she had been so angry with everyone, especially her parents. After Catelyn and Ned were through reprimanding Arya, she went to her room, flopped on her bed, and screamed into her pillow. For hours, she spent her time alternating between being pacing her room and ranting to herself and crying. She had enough of people admonishing her and saying that she wasn't behaving like a lady. It was all too much. Arya stared herself in her mirror and something within her cracked. Almost as if she was possessed, she grabbed a pair of scissors and frantically cut her hair.

The next day, as Catelyn watched her daughter descend the stairs, she said nothing, but devastation accumulated in her eyes as realized her daughter had cut her long locks.

It made Arya had temporarily happy. She figured it was the last time she was going to be happy for a long time.

As the airplane ascended above the clouds, Arya dreaded how each second brought her closer to the prison called Wholistic Core.

TBC…

Don't be shy, leave a comment. I would really appreciate it. :-D


	3. All This Time

A/N: Call me shallow, but Yoren in my fic resembles GOT and not the book. And thanks for the lovely feedback.

….

In wonderment, Arya stared at the lush wilderness that surrounded her. Winterfell had trees and vegetation, but it didn't compare to the vibrancy of the green forest she walked through. After she had arrived to Wholistic Core, the employees had immediately checked her in and showed her to her room. They said she had an hour to herself before she had to go a mandatory meeting.

As she waited for her luggage, she found a packet on her bed that was addressed to her. It said: Arry Stark of Winterfell. She figured it was a typo, but she wouldn't correct them on it. It was their mistake, not hers. It gave her an idea as well. Arya was tired of being the fuck up and disappointment of the family. Perhaps, just for a little while, she could be someone else. Someone who didn't have all those expectations imposed upon them and she wouldn't be judged harshly. Perhaps, she could be who she really wanted to be without being criticized. Without a second thought, Arya put on the nametag.

After walking for a few more minutes with a small group, rows and rows of chairs came into view. It seemed as if the meeting was being held outside. Arya took a seat in the back as she waited for the rest of the chairs to fill up. In about twenty minutes, every single chair had someone sitting in them and the people around her chattered in lively tones.

It puzzled Arya how some people could just make friends so easily, when she struggled so mightily just to get her family to understand her. She found it even harder to relate to people who didn't share her blood. Here she was, surrounded by people who most likely didn't know each other who were talking as if they were old friends and it was the loneliest she ever felt in her life.

She may have decided to become Arry for a while, but she still had the same problems as Arya.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention," an authoritative voice commanded. It was stated as a question, but only out of politeness. Half of the crowd quieted down, but there were still people talking. "Ladies and gentlemen, I asked if I could have you attention," her voice became slightly louder with a hint of menace. The rest of the crowd ceased chatter. "Hello, my name is Leslie Davis," Leslie said in a welcoming tone as she smiled and waved at the crowd. "I am the executive director of Wholistic Core. Nice to meet everyone."

For a brief period of time, she walked back and forth as she examined the crowd. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd and made on the spot assessments of as many people as she could.

"Now," she clasped her hands in front of her and held them close to her chest. "That whole repeating myself twice thing—that," disgust laced her voice as she said that. "Will never happen again. Before we continue, I will like to briefly explain my title. Basically, my job is to oversee the program like the activities, funding, employees, and so forth. I work from inside of the program, so I am here with you all. I see what works and what does not work and I try to improve these things regardless to make your guys' stay here. Now, we won't work one on one or talk much, BUT you will see me around. I always have my eyes open and my ears to the ground."

Arya tried to get a better look at the woman that was speaking. Leslie was a black woman who seemed of average height and her hair was pulled back into a ballerina bun. Her posture was that of one who was in control and she gave off an air of confidence.

"So, what is Wholistic Core," she began. "We aren't like boot camps whose collective purposes is to whip you into shape, so your parents and, society at large, finds your problematic behavior 'manageable'," Leslie grinned as she put air quotes around the last word. "No, our goal is much deeper than that. We want out reach to be further than that—much more profound than 'training' you and 'correcting' your behavior. We want to get to the root of it. We want to get to your core," passion fell from the program director's mouth as she spoke about Wholistic Core. "Can someone tell me the definition of the word core?"

Leslie searched the crowd and looked for volunteers. A few people raised their hands.

"Yes," she called on someone Arya couldn't see. The person gave their answer as Leslie gave her full attention. She called on two other people and attentively listened to them as well. "Does everyone get the gist of what core means? "The core is your very center—the foundation of who you are. It is the most ESSENTIAL part of ANYTHING," she emphasized. "Now, I don't want to my time spent on vocabulary and comprehension, but there are some keywords that I want everyone to understand, so we are all on the same page. Also, our age range here is from thirteen to twenty-two, so everyone's not on the same page as far as education goes," Leslie informed. "So, we will talk about some terms, but only for today."

Again, the woman assessed the crowd.

"To be essential is to be the most important or necessary base of a person, thing, or idea. So, your core is the MOST important thing that makes you who you are. Are you guys following me?" She took a sip of water. "Holism is the idea that everything is connected and cannot exist without one another. Like all those parts that make up cars, TV's, and phones. And if their cores are compromised, they malfunction. Some work and others don't. But, we don't we you all to have malfunctioning parts." Leslie smiled warmly at the crowd. "Another part of holism is the idea that we, the whole, are greater than the sum of our parts, which means we can accomplish more working together and using our strengths together in order to achieve our desired outcome." Pensively, she walked back in forth. In a slow manner, Leslie tapped a finger to her temple before marginally pointing towards the group of people in front of her. "But, the most effective way of accomplishing our goal is to get to the core, so that we can work together in harmony. Wholistic Core does this by striving to help individuals work on betterment by appropriately dealing with these mental and social issues AND learning how to manage them. So, why do we do this? We do we help kids of who labeled as problems kids in society? Because we care and we want to help everyone work on being the best possible person they can be. It may be foolish to some, but that's because they don't have a solid core."

A bearded man with hair just above his shoulders appeared on stage. His hair was brown and he had a stern expression on his face.

"This here is Yoren," she introduced. "I trust all of my employees, but he is my MOST trusted employees. I hired everyone here and made sure that they are specialized in whatever section that they are in. The reason Yoren is my most trust employee is because he deals with the behavior. He's our enforcer of the behavioral code, the dean, the warden—every term you can think of for a person you keeps a group of people in line, he is that." Yoren gave Leslie a knowing look, and then stared at the crowd again. "He's been with the program since the beginning and only three…" she looked at him for reassurance. "Only three out of thousands have been kicked out while Yoren has been here. He gets results. And he's a good guy. If you have any problem whatsoever: talk to him. Don't let your issue escalate. I know that there is a lot of you, but trust me, Yoren can handle it."

Leslie introduced other important members of the camp who would be more involved with the kids' day in and day out. Every worker was highly praised and doted upon. They workers seemed to be nice people even Yoren.

Arya didn't know what to make of the program, but she could tell that they put a lot of thought into it and cared for the kids. She really didn't consider herself a problem child, but then again, she wouldn't be here if people didn't find her problematic. She appreciated that Leslie didn't try and make it seem as if the kids were the issue just that they had some issues to deal with. Arya needed to work on her anger, but she didn't think she was as much trouble as people painted her out to be.

"Any questions," Leslie asked.

Hands flew up and Leslie answered them in a detailed and efficient manner. She smiled and joked with the kids as replied to each inquiry.

Arya wanted to ask a question, but she doubted that Leslie could see her all of the way in the back or that she would even choose her.

"Do you have a question," a counselor asked Arya. She widened her eyes in surprise.

"Umm, yes," she replied.

"What's your name," he smiled at her.

"Arry."

He tapped a mic in his hand. "Hey, Leslie," he called out to get her attention. "A young adult named Arry has a question."

"Sure," Leslie responded. "Shoot away."

"Well," Arya looked nervously around. "I know it's summer, but this program doesn't have an end date and the sheet I reader earlier says it can go through the school year. So, what about real school? Won't this interfere with some of our academics?"

As many difficulties as Arya has with her peers, she enjoyed school a lot. She didn't enjoy the droning on of some teachers, but the ones who cared about what they taught; she loved to be in their classes.

"Great question." Some of the kids looked at Arya. "I take it that you didn't get a chance to read everything in the packet we gave you?" Arya nodded in agreement. "That's completely understandable. Wholistic Core is a very unique program in that academics are incorporated into our program and offered to those who are either in high school or chooses to take the classes. The classes that you will take here whether it is for something equivalent to a semester to a full year are transferred into compatible credits to normal high schools and even colleges. So, if you put as much in your work here like you did in your previous school, you should be just fine. We have teachers who are accredited in the secondary level schooling and even advanced placement/honors classes. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes," Arya handed the mic back and sat down.

Another question asked Leslie how they were able to fund the program and she explained that they were funded from many branches of the government as well as big named corporations. She also noted that seventy percent of the participants had to pay and other, not as financially stable, participants were chosen on a case-by-case basis on a voucher. Leslie said that the lower class participants deserved the same opportunities as the higher-class participants. Someone else asked her why she said young adult so much rather than kids, children, teens and Leslie expounded that she treated the participants like young adults so they could think in a more mature manner. If you call someone a kid, they will act like a kid.

"Yes, sir," Leslie pointed to another person Arya couldn't see.

"I don't mean any offense," the young man began. "But, what makes you qualified to run the program?"

"No offense taken. What's your name," she asked politely.

"Gendry," he stated in an unsure tone.

"Well, Gendry," the older woman began. "I've been working with people my whole life. I was a camp counselor as a youth, but those were with actual kids—the ages between five and eleven," she clarified. "I started working with young adults—ages 13 through twenty-two—when I was a high school teacher. I know eighteen is considered and adult, but I go to twenty-two because some young adults stay home longer than others and some college students are still dependent on their parents. But, back to your question, so I was a high school teacher for a while in both upper and lower class schools, I was a social worker for a very short while, but none of those worked for me and I didn't know why," she shrugged her shoulders. "Then one day I came to see that I didn't want to teach students or simply get them out of bad homes, I wanted to help them better themselves. After a series of ups and down, I came into a work opportunity with Wholistic Core. So, what I believe makes me qualified for my job is that I not only care for you all, but I have experience with working with different behavioral mindsets. Does that answer your question?" It seemed as if the kid was satisfied. "Thank you for your question."

After a few more questions, Leslie began to wrap up the introduction/meeting section.

"It is my humble welcome you all to Wholistic Core and, hopefully, I get to know some of you all better for whatever your duration here will be. And one last note: if you looked at your itinerary, you would have seen that there is an awesome teamwork exercise next."

Arya reported to her group last.

"Arry Stark," the counselor asked.

"Yes," Arya nodded in agreement.

"Well, Arry," the guy began. "My name is Camden, but you can call me Cam. I am your immediate group leader, supervisor, or whatever you want to call me. We're not big on labels here, but we do want you to know who to report to and who the bigger fish are," he said. "As I was explaining to Gendry and Hot Pie," he pointed to a tall, muscular guy with thick jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes and an average height, overweight guy with dark blond hair. "One of your fellow group members had an allergic reaction to something and is being taken to the hospital and the other one is experiencing extreme homesickness."

Hot Pie laughed, "What a pussy."

"Hey, language," Camden admonished. "We do not tolerate foul language here and you will support and respect your fellow peers." Hot Pie rolled his eyes. "And you will respect me." Camden gave Hot Pie a disapproving look. Is there any nickname you go by Arry?"

"No, Arry is fine," she folded her arms and looked around.

"So, that is settled," he looked at his clipboard, and then pointed at each kid as he called off their names. "You are just Arry, just Gendry, and you want to be called Hot Pie. All good?" He gave two thumbs as he held the clipboard between his forefinger and middle finger against his palm. The young adults nodded in agreement. "Well, now that we have that out of the way. Before we go on are there any questions?"

The three teens gave him a blank look.

"Alrighty, then," he mumbled good-naturedly. "Wholistic Core doesn't believe in dipping a toe in—we like to jump in." He grinned widely at his group members. "So, with that being said, you all are going on a treasure hunt in the woods, which also doubles as a getting to know you exercise. So, while you look for your treasure, ask each other questions," he handed sat a backpack in front of them. "Don't skip over the getting to know you part either, it will be important later on."

Camden further explained what they were supposed to do, and then set them on their way.

The group decided to split up the responsibilities. Hot Pie read the map and compass, Gendry carried the backpack, and Arya read the list. As they searched for their first treasure, the young adults sweated profusely. Gendry decided to give everyone their water bottles, so they could stay hydrated.

"I know he said however long it takes, it takes, but this is ridiculous," Gendry complained before taking a big swig of his water. "It is hot as fuck out here."

"Well, he did say that they didn't believe in dipping a toe in," Arya offered. She wiped her forehead in discomfort. Winterfell had summers, but they weren't nearly this hot. The summers were mild and the winters were harsh. She could handle winter.

"I wish I could did a toe into some water," Hot Pie supplied wistfully. "Or better yet: cannonball."

Arya and Gendry daydreamed with him.

"How much longer do we have to go," Gendry moved the bag around on his back.

"Much longer," he chubby kid groaned.

"We should eat," Gendry suggested. "I don't know about you all, but it's been a while since I've had something." His companions agreed as they pulled the prepared food out of the bag. They quiet ate and the momentarily rested from the hike. After they finished, they resumed treasure hunting. Shortly after they began walking, they approached a creek. Excitedly, they splashed themselves in water. Gendry and Hot Pie pulled off their shirts and dipped them completely in the water.

"Thanks Gods," Gendry moaned as he cooled his skin. He let his shirt absorb water, and then wrung it out on his skin "I was practically baking in the heat."

"Do you know how much longer we have left," Arya asked. "This shit is taking too long."

"You complaining about it isn't going to make us get there any faster," Hot Pot admonished as he tried to copy Gendry.

"But, it shouldn't take this long," she practically yelled. "If this is the easy part of the program, I wonder what the hard part looks like." Arya got out of the creek and walked over to Hot Pie, and then snatched the map from him. As she read the map and compared it to the treasure trail directions as well as the compass, her face increasingly got red. Her fury built exponentially as she exploded, "You have to be fucking kidding!" She shoved Hot Pie to the ground and he hit his head on the ground.

"Ow," he cried.

"Hold up, hold up," Gendry said in a placating manner as he ran over to the two of them and stood in front of Arya. "What's the problem?"

"What's the problem," Arya sneered. "This dumbass can't read a fucking map. We've ventured an hour and a half off trail." A strangled noise came from her mouth as Gendry looked gobsmacked.

"That can't be right," Gendry said hesitantly as he took the map from here. "I don't even know why I am reading this, I don't know how to read a map. Are you sure?"

Arya gave him an unbelieving expression. "Am I sure?" She mirthlessly laughed. "I was practically raised in the woods. My father took my brothers and I camping all of the time." The omittance of Sansa was intentional.

Gendry threw his hands in the air, and then exhaled loudly. "Okay, perhaps it's not that bad. We can walk back to the trail, and then finish the treasure hunt from there," he suggested.

"Not that bad, Gendry," Arya glared at him. "We have an hour and a half walk to take back to the trail—the beginning of the trail. Then, who knows how long it will take to complete the teambuilding exercise. It's that bad." She paced back and forth. "God, you are so stupid—both of you."

Gendry glared at her and tightened his jaw. "If we're stupid, you are stupid as well. If you could read a map and compass, then why did you give it to Hot Pie."

"Because he said he could read a fucking map and COMPASS!" She shouted in his face. They both turned to Hot Pie.

"My bad," he said apologetically. "I thought that it would be easy to figure out."

"You thought wrong," Gendry sniped as he went back to the creek and tried to cool off one more time before they left.

Arya went to the bag and sat the map and compass down. She searched the bag for sunscreen and applied it to her skin.

"If we speed walk, do you think we can get back before dark," Gendry asked as he put on his shirt.

The older boy could see her think in over in her mind. "Depends on what you mean by dark," she said vaguely. "If we walk fast enough, we can get back during dusk." Gendry ran a hand through his hair. "But, that's if we skip the treasure hunt. We don't know how long it will take to find each thing."

"Do we have enough food to last us," Hot Pie asked.

"Fuck off," Gendry and Arya shouted simultaneously. Hot Pie grumbled and started to fiddle around next to Arya while she ignored him. They zoned him out and didn't notice when he ran off into the creek.

"I rather just skip the treasure and get back before it's too dark," Gendry agreed. "We can explain to them that we got lost because a certain someone didn't know what he was doing. Why would they send us into the woods not knowing if we could read a map or not?"

Arya sighed at the heat. "Wholistic core doesn't do anything half-assed. I mean, they should have handed me the map, but they probably asked our parents or some shit if we knew how to read maps. They probably assumed that people who didn't know how to read a map or compass wouldn't pretend that they did know and gave the stuff to the people who did know how to read it in the group instead."

"I guess," he mildly agreed. "We should get started since time is of the essence," he mockingly repeated the well-known phrase.

Arya wiped her forehead and turned around to pick up the map and compass.

"Where's the map?" Gendry could see that Arya was panicked as she searched for the map in the bag and around it. "It was right here." She pointed to the ground. "I sat it on the ground with the compass on top of it, so it wouldn't blow away."

Hot Pie turned red.

"What did you do," Arya screamed at him.

As the blond kid answered her, he stammered, "I just wanted to look at the compass again, so I picked it up," he said quietly. "After I was done looking at it, I noticed the map was gone. We I looked around, I saw it floating in the creek and went after it." He pulled a wet piece of paper out of his back pocket. Arya snatched it from him and saw that the paper was completely soaked. The ink was runny and the map was no longer usable.

"Are you fucking serious right now," she balled up the wet paper and threw it at Hot Pie. He flinched. "Are you FUCKING serious? First you lie and say you can read something you clearly can't and steer us an hour and a half away from the path, now you let the map get into the water and get soaked to a point where it can't be read?" Suddenly, she began to hit him. "You're a fucking genius, that's what you are."

Gendry hurried up and pulled her away from the other guy. "Calm down,"

"No," she ripped her body away from Gendry's. "Are you really expecting me to be calm right now?"

"I don't know," he answered. "But, I sure as hell know that anger and beating the shit out of someone doesn't help even if it does make you feel good."

"Well, I don't know what will." She paced back and forth. "We've gone too far from the path, we have no map, we are extremely low on food—something else is bound to go wrong."

The only sounds that were made were those that came from the woods. "Well, didn't you say you was practically raised in the woods—we can hunt or catch some fish," Hot Pie offered.

"Arry can't catch fish with his fucking hands," Gendry said incredulously. "Besides, we don't have any tools to hunt with."

"There is nothing to hunt anyways," Arya started putting the items back in the bag. "These people aren't going to make us go on treasure hunt around dangerous animals. Deer aren't dangerous, but as Gendry said, we don't have tools."

"So, what are we going to do," Hot Pie looked terrified. Arya wanted to scare him, but she wanted to get out of the woods even more and a panicked person was only a hindrance.

Wordlessly, Arya pointed to the creek. Gendry crinkled his eyebrows, and then raised them in realization.

"How does that help us," Hot Pie asked as he moved out the way for Gendry to pick up the backpack.

Gendry turned to the boy and looked at him. "It helps us because it is the only creek around here. This creek runs behind our cabin area. If we follow it, it will lead up back to campgrounds."

"And you guys were worried about us being lost." Hot Pie smiled, and then erased it when both of him comrades shot him death glares.

Arya and Gendry walked at a faster pace than Hot Pie and refused to walk slower so he could walk beside him. They checked on him every few minutes to make sure he was still there and all right.

"So, why are you here," Arya asked as she swatted a mosquito away.

"I don't know," Gendry shrugged as he stared straight ahead.

"You're a liar," she proclaimed.

"No, I'm not," he denied.

"Yes, you are," Arya said.

"You're starting to be a pain in my ass," Gendry remarked.

"And you're being stupid." She sipped her water that she gathered from the creek minutes before as she looked expectantly at Gendry.

"You know you shouldn't insult those who are bigger that you," Gendry looked at Arya briefly before looking to the ground as he walked.

Arya looked offended at his words. "Then I wouldn't get to insult anyone."

Gendry laughed.

"Honestly, I really don't know." He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "My foster dad just told that I had to come to this program and that there wasn't any negotiation. I know why he wants me here, but I don't know why he signed me up in this specific camp. I was never a problem child."

"Tsk, tsk," Arya said. "You mean, young adult."

"You're right, I was never got into any trouble as a young adult," he humored Arya.

"So, why does your foster dad want you to be here," she inquired.

"He claimed that it was a good opportunity for me." Gendry turned his head to check on Hot Pie. "Some shit about expanding horizons." Arya slightly laughed.

"My dad said the same thing when we moved last year," Arya could relate to being told what would be best for us. "I don't mean to sound intrusive, but why didn't you grow up with your parents?"

"Well, I don't know who my dad is." Gendry and Arya stopped so Hot Pie could catch up. He had fallen somewhat behind. "And my mom died when I was younger. All I remember about her is that she had blond hair and worked at a bar. I was in and out of foster homes before I met my foster father when I was twelve."

"How old are you now?" They began to walk again when Hot Pit was ten feet behind them.

"Twenty-one." The sun started setting, which lessen the intensity of the heat. "And you?"

"Fourteen," she answered.

"So, what about you?" He asked nonchalantly.

"What about me?" Arya took a bit of her granola bar as she looked at him.

"Why are you pretending to be a boy," he cut straight to the point.

"I'm not pretending to be a boy," she contradicted. "I am one."

"No you're not," he grinned.

"Yes, I am," she defended.

"Then whip out your cock and take a piss," he demanded. "I'm not stupid not like the others, you know."

"No you're stupider," she insulted.

Gendry laughed and held onto the book bag straps tighter. "Come on, I'm waiting."

Arya glared at him. "Fine, I'm a girl."

The older boy shook his head at his victory. Upon first glance, Gendry thought that Arya was a boy, until they spent the rest of the day together. She certainly had the look. Her hair was styled like his—unkempt and very short. She wore a regular gray t-shirt, cargo shorts, and boots. He couldn't determine if her voice was high because Arry hadn't hit puberty yet or if it was because Arry's genes were really XX. It was certain mannerisms and further inspection of her physical characteristics that tipped him off.

"Why do you want to be a boy?" Arya rolled her eyes at him question.

"I don't want to be a boy," she declared and Gendry looked her up and down before meeting her eyes again to make a point. "Not in that way. I like who I am and what I am, but girls don't get the same freedoms as guys, you know? Everything we do gets judged, criticized, and torn apart and I'm so fucking tired of it."

"If it's any consolation, you're the most kick ass girl I've met so far," Gendry offered. Arya smiled in response. "Do you want this to be our little secret?"

"I don't care—it's not a big deal," she shrugged.

"So, if you're name isn't Arry, then what is it?" Gendry handed Arya the shirt he had took back off earlier to wipe her face. She dipped it in the creek as the spoke and Gendry stopped and waited for her to finish.

As she wrung the shirt out, she spoke, "It's Arya Stark." She got up and looked at Gendry as a huge smile enveloped his face and he laughed.

"You're the girl that beat the shit out of that Joffrey Baratheon kid," his eyes widened as he recognized who she was. "Holy shit. You're my hero—I hate that little shit."

Arya proudly grinned. "How do you know Joffrey?"

"The question is: who doesn't know Joffrey," he was still laughing about Joffrey getting beat up. "Well, at least, anyone who lives in King's Landing. He was always throwing his weight around because of who his father is. He came to my foster dad's shop once expecting to get his car fixed for free, and then throwing money at him to prove how 'superior' he was after he was told he had to pay." Gendry looked to be disgusted by the last part.

"He really is a fuckface and that's being nice," Arya wiped herself with the shirt again, and then handed it back to Gendry.

"Too nice," he agreed. "So, you being Arya Stark and going to school with Joffrey means that your dad is Robert Baratheon's new right hand man Eddard Stark?"

"Yup." Arya believed that they were getting close to their destination.

"If we were to compare this to ancient Westeros, you would be considered a lady," Gendry figured. "Should I be calling you my lady?" Arya could tell he was joking, but she didn't find it funny.

"Shut up," she pushed Gendry as he laughed.

"As my lady commands," he bowed and Arya pushed him so hard that he fell over, but it only made Gendry laugh even harder.

An hour later, Gendry and Arya had slowed down enough for Hot Pie to join them and Arya deduced that they were minutes away from the cabins. Arya's guess proved to be correct as the walked by the cabins to go check in with their group leader. They explained what happened and were exempted from their previous activity and the following one.

Arya ate dinner and went to bed. It may have not been the longest and most stressful day in her life, but she was tired nevertheless.

Weeks had passed and she was getting along with Gendry and Hot Pie just great, but especially Gendry. They developed instant banter with one another and could anticipate the each other's wants and needs. Mycah was her best friend, but this was different. Arya felt like she was truly herself around him. Everything everyone else judged her for, Gendry embraced. He never made her feel ashamed to be who she was or the things she liked.

When there was a break or their activities for the day was done, they would sit and talk to each other for hours on end. Sometimes they would go exploring and talk to each other. Often, Arya would hang out by the creek or in the rec room. They initially tried to hang out in each other's rooms, but were told that it was inappropriate.

"We should go swimming," Arya looked at the lake longing as they carried wood for the bon fire that night.

"I don't know how to swim," Gendry mentioned.

"I'll teach you," his friend offered. "It's easy once you get the basics down."

The following Saturday, Arya took Gendry to the lake and walked him into water that was deep enough to swim around, but shallow enough where he wouldn't drip. She explained to do with his hands, legs, head, and how to breathe.

"I'm going to stop if you keep laughing at me," Gendry warned as he splashed water at her.

"Stop being such a baby," she rolled her eyes and swam backwards as she watched Gendry. "If you didn't look so stupid as you swam, I wouldn't be laughing. Stop giving me material and start following my directions."

Gendry swam out a little further and pulled her under the water.

"Stop it, you big dofus," she struggled in Gendry's strong arms, but he wouldn't let her go.

"Words hurt, you know," Gendry said as he pulled her close. His expression was mischievous. "Say you're sorry."

"I'm not sorry," Arya stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, you asked for it." Gendry was about to pull her back down under the water again when she yielded.

"Okay, okay," she said quickly. "I'm sorry." Arya gave him a hug. "That you are such a bad swimmer."

"You know what, you little twerp," Arya playful screams was muted by the water.

Later on, Hot Pie asked why they didn't ask him to come.

On Monday, they had to build a tower out of furniture. It had to be a certain height and it hand to stand longer than a minute.

As Hot Pie read the directions, he stammered. Gendry went over and snatched the paper from him and began to read. He had trouble as well.

"What," Arya said as she walked over. "You two can't read or something?"

After she took the paper and looked down to read it, she noticed Gendry's silence. Arya looked up at him and noticed he was bright red.

"Gendry…"

"I can read," he began. "It's just I have a problem with the big words is all." Gendry refused to look at Arya out of embarrassment. "I lived in the poorest part of King's Landing called Flea Bottom," he said quietly. "You either went to school or you didn't, but going to school meant you couldn't help your family make money, which meant that you didn't eat. I liked going to school, but I liked eating more, so I dropped out in the eighth grade. I had to help my foster dad."

Arya opened her mouth, but Gendry stopped her.

"Don't apologize to me," he said as he stared at his shoes. "I don't want it." Arya knew that he wasn't upset or mad at her, but she felt terrible.

"Gendry," she began again.

"And don't stop calling me stupid or idiot and anything else that insults my intelligence." He finally looked Arya in the eyes. "I know you don't say that to me because you mean it—you call everyone stupid, but me more so than others because you like me the most out of everybody." He thought about what he said for a moment. "Well, you don't like everyone you insult and call stupid, but I'm pretty sure that you like me. I know you consider me a friend."

"Gendry, I'm glad that you finally admitted how stupid you are," Arya gave him a tightlipped smile. She read the directions and told them what to do. After they finished the activity, she, Gendry, and Hot Pie walked to the lake together to swim. Gendry was doing way better than he did on Saturday. "I love books."

"You do," Gendry said slowly. He was curious as to why she made her remark.

"Yeah," she replied. Arya dipped her head in the water, and then brought it back above the surface. "I used to be involved in a lot of online book clubs and now I don't have anyone else to talk to. I don't like the people here besides you and Hot Pie. I have all these books in my room and it would be nice to discuss them with people that I like."

"Sure," Gendry agreed. He was too choked with emotion to say anything more.

The summer was long and hot and when the end neared, it passed by too soon for Arya. Her activities got cut short for her class time, which wasn't the usual school setup like going from what class to the other. There were break in between and some were longer than others. She figured it resembled the class schedule of some college kids. The learning was very personalized and one on one since there weren't that many student. Arya enjoyed the teachers and the method in which they taught.

"Ugh," Gendry groaned in frustration as he slammed his book shut. Arya looked up and rolled her eyes.

"What is your problem?" She didn't look at Gendry as she spoke to him.

"That book is too hard," he declared and rested his hands in his hair.

"So, you aren't going to finish it, so we can discuss it later on?" Grey eyes met blue eyes.

"Cut the bullshit, Arya," Gendry said angrily. "I don't fucking understand this shit—it's too hard."

"Yeah, it's hard," Arya irritably agreed. "But, you complaining about it will only make it harder. Reading is not just about learning the words; it's about challenging yourself and expanding your vocabulary. I know you didn't think you were just going to pick up a book and instantly know the words."

"I want to be a mechanic—I don't need to know this shit. I know all of the words I need to know." He folded his arms and looked at the table in front of him.

"You don't have bigger dreams than being just some mechanic?" Arya sat her pencil down. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you can be a mechanic AND own your own business. You can be your own boss."

"You really think I'm smart enough to run my own business?" His expression softened.

"Of course, stupid," she picked up her pencil again.

Arya glared at him, until he opened his book and continued to read.

"Finish the chapter, and then go over your vocabulary list," she instructed. "Hot Pie should be here in ten minutes and we're going to have a spelling test when he gets here."

"Do I get a cookie if I get an A," Gendry smiled.

"Yup, and you get two if you get an A plus." The younger girl wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ooh," he leaned closer to his friend.

"I know, right," she mimicked his actions. "I'm such a nice person." Gendry shook his head in agreement. "Now, get back to work and worry about cookies later."

Gendry read in silence and wrote down words he didn't know or understand as Arya taught him when they first began to work together. Arya completed one of her school assignments just as Hot Pie entered the room.

With the motivation of cookies, Gendry aced his test. Hot Pie missed one, but Arya offered to give him both.

"No," Gendry said as he stared in offense. "You're supposed to be the hardnosed teacher—all or nothing. He is supposed get one hundred percent for both cookies like I did. And it's not like he doesn't have any cookies—he has one."

"He's right, Hot Pie," Arya shrugged. "Better luck next time." Hot Pie glared at Gendry who happily ate both of his cookies.

Gendry and Hot Pie were taking reading lessons from her because they were too embarrassed to ask the people in the program to enroll them in classes. They were already behind most of the other kids in learning since Gendry dropped out before his eighth grade year and Hot Pie dropped out when he was in sixth grade. Also, they were older as well. In addition to Gendry being 21, Hot Pie was 19. Neither one was expecting a full education, but they wanted to be better readers.

"Arya, what is your dream job," Gendry asked as he licked his fingers.

"It's nothing flashy like being a movie star or anything." Arya bit into her own cookie. "I want to be a cop."

"Really," Hot Pie blurted out.

"Yes, really," she replied. "They put their lives on the line to protect people. I've always wanted to be one of them every since I was a little girl."

"Well, I know that I'll be safer with you on the streets," Gendry warmly smiled at her as reached his hand across the table to squeeze her hand. "Officer Arya."

For the first time in Arya's blushed.

"Where are you going to go whenever you leave here," Gendry asked as he walked Arya back to her cabin. "You know, since you've been expelled from your last school in all." The tall boy elbowed her jokingly.

"Braavos," she answered. "The culture is way more relaxed and the education is great from what my parents tell me. It'll give me something different from Winterfell and better than King's Landing."

"Will you miss being away from your parents that long?" For a moment, the walked in silence before Arya responded.

"Yeah, but I have to learn to live on my own eventually." Gendry seemed to give her words some consideration.

Gendry pulled her into a bear hug after they approached her room. "Goodnight, Arya."

"Goodnight, Gendry." She waved as he walked backwards and waved back at her.

"My mistake," he said a little loudly. "I meant, officer Arya."

Arya didn't tear her eyes away from Gendry even as his form became smaller and smaller. When he disappeared, she wrapped her arms around her body and walked into her cabin.

TBC…

Reviews welcomed and appreiacted!


	4. Blurry Lines

Blurry Lines (Or, Know This, We've Noticed)

Arya landed on her feet, and then unhooked the ropes from around her body before taking off her helmet. Soon afterwards, she found her bottle of water and gulped the whole thing down in no time as she monitored Gendry descending the rock.

"You have about twenty more feet, Gendry," she projected to him. To encourage her friend, Arya began to clap and shout for him. "Woo!"

Gendry laughed, and then turned to face her. "Shut up. You're distracting me."

The shouting stopped, but Arya continued to clap. When Gendry reached the bottom, she gave him his water. Gendry unhooked himself and took off his helmet as he poured water on his body. Entranced by what she saw, Arya's eyes followed the water as it sluiced his skin. The water made his chiseled body glisten as it moved across his torso. Gendry began to stretch his muscles as Arya notice how taut and prominent they were. He wore his shorts low on his waist and if they went down any further…Arya swallowed slowly.

Arya pulled her gaze away from Gendry's body and started putting items into a small backpack.

"Come on," she said as she put the backpack straps on her shoulder.

Gendry packed his things as well. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I believe we are in the lead," Arya announced as she looked around the forest. They were on an obstacle course through the woods and all of the young adults had been paired off. Of course, Arya and Gendry chose to be partners. Gendry looked at the map and turned at Arya.

As he spoke to her, he pointed to the paper, "This is the last place we have to go before we finish," he leaned over Arya's shoulder to look at the map as well.

Arya moved away from him ever so slightly, and then discussed strategy with him. "We should run the rest of the way," she thought aloud. "We'll get to the boat quicker and we can use that extra time to rest when we row across the lake if need be."

"I was thinking the same thing," Gendry concurred. "Pine trail will be the best route to take. Mostly everyone will avoid it because of the incline and rough surface."

The two went about their way as they ran to the lake taking Pine trail. Gendry had longer legs than Arya, but she could keep on with him. They were careful as they ran over the rocky surface and increased their stride when they approached the incline. Within 25 minutes, the lake appeared. Hurriedly, Arya and Gendry got into the boat and didn't bother to take their bags off as they rowed away quickly.

When they reached the sand, they jumped out of the boat and ran to the finished line. Excitedly, Arya and Gendry gave each other a high five before tightly hugging one another.

"Why does it surprise me that you two finished first," said a camp counselor named Francine. "It is almost unfair the way you two dominate these challenges."

"I know, right," Camden agreed. "If we didn't split you two up from time to time, you would always win them."

Arya and Gendry were notorious for how well they worked together. When they were paired, they always finished first and collected whatever prizes were given. If they were split up, they interchangeably finished one and second and sometimes third, but never any lower than that.

"We do always win the challenges when you guys don't split us up," Arya smirked as she stretched out her body. She went to lie down on the ground and Gendry went over to help her. He straddled her right leg while keeping her left straight and slowly pushing it towards her body. "Harder," she demanded in a soft tone.

"I will once you relax," Arya groaned when he pushed her leg further back. "Gods, I'm trying to loosen you up because you are so tense."

"No," she refuted. "You're afraid to break me because I'm so small. I can handle you, Gendry. We've done this a thousand times."

"I know," Gendry chuckled. "It's easy to forget how flexible you are." He let Arya's leg rest on his shoulder for a moment, before laying it on the ground and moving to stretch her other leg.

"Then stop forgetting," she slapped his on the arm. "You're the only one who knows how to stretch me out properly when you aren't taking it easy on me. Just because you are big, doesn't mean I can't handle you."

"I take it easy on you at first, so you can handle me when I stretch your muscles," Gendry said. "We both know how sore you get every time I am done with you."

"Have you ever heard me complain?" Gendry nodded no. "Then, stop taking it easy on me."

Camden started choking on his drink as Francine gave them a weird look.

"What?" Arya looked at Francine and the girl blushed embarrassedly before turning away.

"Nothing," she lied as a looked between her and Camden was exchanged.

After she was done being stretched by Gendry, and then returned the favor, Arya went to go take a shower. The water was steaming hot and she was in heaven. An abundance of soap and shampoo was lathered on her skin and in her hair and she washed all of the grime away.

Blissfully, she lay down on her stomach as she sniffed the fresh laundry after she got out of her shower. The clothes were so warm and smelled so nice. She couldn't imagine anything better at the moment—well, she could imagine something better. Quickly, the Stark girl threw on some clothes and went to look for Gendry.

He was walking to the cafeteria when Arya decided to sneak up on him and give him a hug. From time to time, Gendry would tell her how stealthy she was and that she moved without making noise. As Arya got closer and closer to him, a smile broke out on her face and she quickened her pace. When she was directly behind him, she wrapped her arms around Gendry and hugged him from behind.

"Gotcha, Gendry," she shouted. Gendry jumped in her arms and then tore Arya's arms from his body before putting space between them.

"Seven Hells, Arya," Gendry ran a hand through his hair.

"Did I scare you?" She teased as she grinned broadly.

"No," he answered.

"Yes, I did," Arya stuck her tongue out. "If I didn't you wouldn't have jumped."

"That's not why I jumped," the young man refuted.

"Then why?" She crossed her arms and waited for him answer so she could shoot it down.

"It's nothing," he denied as he tried to walk away, but Arya caught his arm. Although he was stronger than his friend, he chose not to pull away.

"It is something," she contradicted. "Tell me what it is."

Gendry struggled to find the words. "You're different," he provided vaguely.

"You think I've changed." Arya crossed her arms. "That's why you don't want me to touch you."

"Yes, you've changed." Gendry smiled in relief not knowing they were having two different conversations. "That's why I jumped."

"I'm confused; you were acting all normal and like we were best friends earlier and now you are telling me that I've changed and not to touch you," Arya shouted angrily. Gendry's eyes widened at the misunderstanding.

"NO, that not what I meant," he immediately denied. "You still are my best friend—that hasn't changed."

"Then what in the seven hells are you talking about?" Arya held her hands out in front of her in confusion.

"Why do you have to make this so hard!" Gendry paced back and forth.

"You're making this hard," she said incredulously.

"Arya," he called for her attention. Gendry snapped his fingers and pointed two of them to his eyes for Arya to follow. "You've changed," he said quietly as he eyes scanned her and his hand gestured towards her body.

Arya had been at Wholistic Core for a year and she looked different than when she first got there. Rather than her hair being an inch short, it now came to her chin and was styled in a bob. She was slightly taller, but her athletic physique remained and complemented her figure. Arya's face had filled out some, but not too much. Most importantly, she went from barely having any breast to having a b cup.

Her eyes had widened at the implication.

"I love being your friend," Gendry began. "But, it's distracting when you touch me, especially when you hug be from behind and your—you know—is on my back."

Arya didn't know what to say. "I don't touch you that much," she denied.

"Uh, yeah, you do," he contradicted. "But, usually, I'm prepared for it. And you lay on be a lot when we are alone. I really don't mind, but it can be a distraction sometimes. I know you don't try to have that impact on me and I try not to take it that way, but I'm still a guy, so my body is going to respond." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I wouldn't notice so much if you still wore your old clothes."

By her fifteenth birthday, Arya had outgrown the clothes she arrived with. When she went shopping, it was clear that her taste had changed as well. Her new items weren't overly feminine, but they were did accentuate her features in a favorable way. She now wore fitted shirts and tank tops. Her shorts hugged her skinned comfortably and were mid thigh. Her pants no longer hid her figure, but highlighted it.

It was a few days after their conversation that Arya understood why some guys started to treat her different. They would try to flirt with her and find reasons to get her alone. Some guys gave her flowers by asking her in a nonchalant way if she wanted them. Others would give her chocolate and would say that they had extra and she could have it if she wanted it. Then there were those who 'let' her win, but everyone knew the truth about the last part. Arya began to realize that some of these guys were trying to woo her.

One even tried to kiss her.

Gendry watched as Arya ranted about the brave boy who dared to steal a kiss from Arya.

"Can you believe the nerve of him," Arya harshly whispered.

Her friend shook his head no in amusement.

"It's not funny, Gendry." It infuriated Arya that someone would try to kiss her without her consent. She wasn't even interested in dating, kissing, or anything else. If she wanted to kiss someone, she would let him know.

"Yes, it is," he grinned at her while he sprawled across the loveseat.

Daggers were shot his way from Arya's eyes. "It's not like I'm pretty either. The only reason guys would want to kiss an ugly girl is to persuade to have sex."

"Excuse me?" There was a deep frown on Gendry's face. "Arya, I don't know told you that you were ugly, but they are flat out wrong."

"How about the whole entire city of Winterfell?" She sat on her bed, and then fell back.

"Then the whole entire of city Winterfell is wrong," he said adamantly.

"Gendry, you don't have to defend me because you are my friend," she supplied. "It's nice that you would say that to make me feel better, but it doesn't help. I'm ugly and I know it."

Gendry got up off of the couch and sat next to Arya on her bed. He leaned over her as each arm was placed on a side of her body and said, "I can say with absolute certainty that even without looking at your body, your face is very attractive."

"Gendry," she groaned. Arya didn't want to hear this anymore.

"You remember what you told me about that Ned guy," he reminded. "That was before you…developed. And he wanted to kiss you."

"That was because we were drinking—he thought I was drunk," she retorted.

"You have an answer for everything." Gendry shook his head as Arya's grin.

"Okay," she sighed. "Even if guys find me attractive, that doesn't give them the right to put their mouths on me."

"You're right, it doesn't," he agreed. Arya rubbed his arms as she looked up at her best friend. "He was wrong for that."

"I've never thought about my first kiss, but I don't want it to be with some random guy who I don't even like." In thought, Arya licked her lips.

"I agree," he murmured.

Gendry didn't like the look in Arya's eyes when her gaze fell upon him.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Kiss me," she grinned.

"No." Gendry tried to get up, but Arya held on tight to him.

"Come on, Gendry, I like you and you like me," she supplied.

"As friends," he nearly shouted.

Arya glared at him. "Quiet down," she mouthed. Gendry wasn't supposed to be in her room. But, for the last few months, they've been sneaking into each other's rooms at night to hangout. "And who cares if it's just friends. This is my first kiss—not yours. If I want it to be with a friend, so some guy I don't even like isn't the first, then that is my choice. You already had your first kiss with someone you wanted it to be and I want mine to be with you."

A telltale blush crept upon Gendry's face.

"No," Arya said in shock. "You've never been kissed."

"There was never a girl I wanted to kiss," he said before giving the thought further consideration. "I mean, there were a few, but I didn't have a chance."

"So, that means…" Arya raised her eyebrows.

"It means that I never had sex either," Gendry mumbled as he hung his head in embarrassment.

Arya propped herself up on her elbows. "Gendry," she grabbed his face and forced him to look at her before running her fingers through his hair. "I'm your best friend; I'm not going to judge you for not having sex at a certain age." She hugged him, and then made her weight pull Gendry to the bed. She whispered in his ear, "Let me be your first kiss—it's better than someone you don't like."

Gendry turned to face her. "Arya, I'm twenty-two and you are fifteen. I'm seven years older than you. That's illegal."

"No, you are six and a half years older than me," she corrected before arguing, "And who cares if we don't tell anyone. I'm not being taken advantaged of and it is just a kiss between two friends. Why do you have to be a baby about this?"

A loud exhaled was released into the air as Arya saw defeat in Gendry's eyes. "Fine."

In anticipation, Arya's licked her lips and reached for Gendry. Gendry's forearm rested above her head as he sat the other one next to Arya's hip. Arya's breathing slowed in anticipation.

He placed a quick peck on her mouth.

"That's not a kiss," Arya cried in disbelief. "That's how you would kiss your family."

Gendry groaned and descended upon her mouth again as Arya grabbed his head with one hand and his hip with another. Without him realizing it, she had maneuvered her leg under his body to cradle his hips. Experimentally, the pair of lips brushed against one another. Arya noticed how Gendry's goatee slightly tickled her face. He had started to grow it recently to try something new. At first, she didn't like it, but it grew on her and she liked how it felt against her skin.

The kiss went on longer than expected as they unintentionally and, in a minuscule fashion, began to grind their hips against one another. Arya's hands slipped under his shirt and caressed his back as Gendry brought her closer to his body. As he did this, Arya could feel his hardened manhood rub against her clothed crouch and moaned in his mouth in response. Arya then slipped her tongue down his throat and Gendry opened his mouth wider to accept the intrusion.

They rolled over so that she was on top. Arya pulled at her shirt and Gendry quickly assisted her of divesting the clothing. For a moment, he played with her bra straps and Arya's stomach fluttered. Soon afterward, his shirt followed hers to the floor. Their mouths collided in frenzy as Arya pushed Gendry on the bed, and then tore her lips away from his. Once, then twice she gave Gendry a peck before making a trail of kisses down his torso. A hot tongue swirled around his belly button as Arya undid his pants. It was when he lifted his hips to helped her pull down his shorts that Gendry realized that they had gone too far. Abruptly, he sat up and pushed Arya off of him unto the bed, and then stood up.

In shame, Gendry looked at the floor and rubbed his forehead.

"Gendry," Arya called his name.

"You act so mature," he began. "It's hard to believe you're fifteen sometimes." Gendry looked at Arya and saw that her lips were swollen and her hair was disheveled. "This is not happening again."

"I know," Arya whispered. "It was a one time thing."

"Yeah, one time thing," he repeated as he grabbed his shirt before bolting out of her room.

The next day as Hot Pie approached them, Arya said. "Thanks."

Gendry knew what she was referring. "Don't mention it." Arya read the double meaning.

For the longest, Arya tried to ignore it, but there had been a definite shift in her the night she and Gendry had kissed. They didn't acknowledge what happened between them the day after she thanked him, but everything felt different between them—more heightened. On the outside, they seemed to be the same Arya and Gendry, but on the inside, she was yearning something fierce. What for, exactly? Arya had no clue, but it had been awakened within her when she and Gendry made out. She wondered if that is what made kissing so great. It must have been why people enjoyed kissing so much she figured.

If she had just been left to her thoughts about their kiss, Arya could have suppressed whatever it was that she was yearning, whatever it was that she was craving, but it wasn't just the thoughts. She would have these vivid dreams and wake up sweating and her panties had been moist. There was an aching between her legs and she knew her dreams had not been nightmares.

Weeks had passed as she wrecked her brain to remember her dreams. What was it that she dreamed about that had her so aroused? What made her sweat so profusely that her clothes stuck to her skin? Who was she dreaming about that made her involuntarily grind against her bed as she slept in order to release friction?

Suddenly, it came to her as if she should have known all along. Arya was walking by herself back to her cabin when big, strong arms encircled her. "Gotcha, Arya," Gendry said in her ear.

Arya stilled as if a jolt of lightening struck her body. The sensation Gendry stirred within her from his touch with the same as what she felt when she woke up from her dreams. Like floodgates, all of the dreams she struggled to remember came rushing to her. She became overwhelmed by everything: Gendry touching her, the night that they had kissed, and the vivid, sexual dreams that flowed within her head.

Although she told Gendry everything, she couldn't talk to him about this.

"What is it you want to talk with me about, Arya," the camp's psychologist Gina asked her. Arya was in her mandatory therapy session that every camper had to go to. Arya really liked Gina. It may have been her job, but Gina seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say and was very supportive.

Arya rubbed her hands together. "I've been having dreams."

"Yes, I remember," she recalled as she pulled out her notepad. "Have you figured out what they are about yet?"

"They're sex dreams," Arya blushed embarrassedly. "I never told you this, but after I would wake up, my clothes would be wet and my underwear would be…moist."

"Oh," Gina said in intrigue. "If you would have told me these details a little sooner, I would have suggested it then," she supplied, and then raised her eyebrow. "But, you knew that. You intentionally kept it a secret from me. You are talking to me about this for another reason. So, this is not about the type of dreams you are having, but who you are having them about."

Gina took a sip of water, and then crossed her legs.

"Is it Gendry?" She implored as she gauged Arya's body language and reaction.

"How did you know?" Arya asked in shock.

"Well, for starters, you spend a great deal of time around Gendry. Hot Pie is a close second, but you two aren't nearly as close or inseparable as you are with Gendry," she said as a way of explanation. "In addition, he has a great body." Arya stared at her in surprise. "What? Just because I am older and married doesn't mean I can't appreciate a nice body," Gina shrugged. "Besides, I'm not elderly and bedridden, I'm only thirty-seven. It's hard not to notice Gendry when he walks around shirtless as much as possible. It is easy to see why you may have sexual dreams about him, especially considering you spend so much time with him. It's natural."

Arya looked mortified.

"So, what are you saying?" The young adult bit her lip as she stared at her therapist.

"What do you think I am saying," she genuinely asked.

"I don't know." Arya roughly rubbed at her face. "Does this mean that I like him?"

Gina chuckled. "Do you?"

"No," she said. "But, I keep having these sex dreams about him, so that must mean something."

"Arya," Gina got up and sat next to her patient. "Young adults around your age start to develop sexual desires. Some develop at a younger age. But, you spent most of your life trying to be asexual in order to suppress any desires you may possess." Arya stared at her curiously. "So, you are at this age when you sexual desires have started to manifest and you are around this really HOT guy who takes his shirt off ALL of the time. He pays attention to you and likes being around you. Gendry is not related to you as well. Your sexual attraction to him is normal."

"What do the dreams mean, then," Arya inquired.

Slowly, Gina shrugged. "Sometimes they don't mean anything, they just are," she mentioned. "Dreams have many functions. Everyone assumes that all dreams have deeper meanings, but truth be told, scientists don't really know the purpose of dreams. I do believe that some dreams have deeper meaning, but that doesn't mean that all or most do. There are some who believe we dream as a response to external stimuli. Another theory is that we dream to clean up clutter in our mind. There's one that say dreams are a form of psychotherapy," Gina crossed her legs and leaned back into the cushion. "There are hundreds and thousands of theories as to why we dream, BUT in my professional opinion, your subconscious is trying to work through your newly developed sexual desires. You are dreaming about Gendry because one: he's attractive and two: even in your dreams you trust him with something so personal to you. Your mind finds him a safe option to help you explore these desires." She chuckled to herself. "One time I had a sex dream about Donald Trump. Gods know that I am not attracted nor do I want to date that man. See what I mean?"

"That makes sense," Arya agreed.

"Does it?" The therapist faced her patient.

"I think so," she sounded unsure.

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

"I thought you just gave me your honest opinion?" Gina smiled at her as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I gave you my honest opinion about the information I was given," the woman clarified. "But, I want to give you my honest opinion about what you haven't."

"Okay," Arya said as she positioned her body to face the therapist.

"You like Gendry," she stated simply.

Arya balked. "But, you just said I didn't."

"No," a finger was waved at Arya. "I asked if you had feelings for him, and then explained that just because you have sex dreams about someone doesn't mean that you have romantic feelings for them." Arya rolled her eyes at the technicality, but Gina brushed off the gesture. "It's hard for you to admit you like him. You think having 'girly' feelings by having crushes on guys and wanting them in a sexual way makes you just like Sansa, but it doesn't. It makes you human. You're afraid of what it means, so you try to suppress these new, exciting feelings. But, at the same time, it's Gendry—he understands you in ways that no one ever had. So, you keep trying to make your dreams mean something. In fact, you hope they do. And here comes the inevitable but," she grabbed Arya's hand and squeezed it. "He's too old for you. Perhaps not emotionally, but legally speaking, you two cannot date."

The young adult stared at her lap before looking at Gina.

For the rest of the session, they uttered not another word about Gendry.

A ball bounced loudly as Hot Pie walked back and forth.

"What's bothering, Arya?" He shot the ball and it missed the rim terribly. At a sluggish pace, he went to go run after the ball.

"Nothing," she denied as she sat and watched Hot Pie and his terrible basketball skills. Arya supposed he had an excuse since he never played sports until he got here. At Flea Bottom, he always found a way out of playing sports in school.

"You're lying," he stated before attempted another shot that missed the rim again.

"No, I'm not," Arya yelled. "Hot Pie, aim for the square on the backboard. You'll never make a shot if you don't."

After a few attempts, Hot Pie began to make a couple of baskets per Arya's suggestion. Excitedly, he continued to throw the ball at the backboard and Arya laughed at her friend's enthusiasm.

"So, what's bothering you," he prodded after he made his last shot and sat next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it." Hot Pie tossed the basketball in his hands, and then gripped it tightly.

"I know that I'm not as close as you as Gendry," he began. Arya's stomach dropped at the mention of Gendry's name. "But, you can talk to me if something is wrong. You're a good person, Arya. You do have a temper, but you are nice and I don't like to see you down."

"Thanks, Hot Pie," Arya patted her friend's shoulder. "I just don't want to talk about it—not even with Gendry."

"Okay," he left it alone, but sat beside her as a way of support.

By dinnertime, Arya had suppressed her therapy session so deep; she could swear it was if she never saw Gina that day.

After they ate, the three of them went to the creek and smoked cigarettes. Well, Arya and Gendry smoked as Hot Pie chilled with them. Arya and Gendry had a donut-blowing contest, which Gendry was winning. She would say that she wasn't winning because her heart wasn't in it, but that would be a lie.

Deeply, Arya inhaled her cigarette as she walked along a log as if it were a balance beam. Gendry skipped rocks along the water as if he was in competition with someone. It may have been a symptom of hanging around Arya for too long. Everything was a competition with her.

"I'm leaving next week," Hot Pie announced. Both Gendry and Arya whipped their heads to look at him simultaneously spoke.

"What," Gendry said in shock.

"Why," Arya asked.

"You know when we visited the 'Inn of the Kneeling Man'?" He asked and his friends shook their heads. "Well, they were really impressed with my cooking and asked if I could come back with and offered a paid internship. They would teach me everything I need to know and will help me with school too."

"That's sounds great," Gendry sounded really happy for Hot Pie.

"Good for you," Arya said as she went over to Hot Pie and hugged him. It wasn't in her nature to hug, but she knew that it meant a lot to her friend.

"Thanks, you guys," Hot Pie was touched by their support. "I'm going to really miss the both of you."

"We'll miss you too, buddy," Gendry patted the shorter guy on the back, and then pulled him into a hug.

For the next few days, Arya and Gendry spent their time doing whatever Hot Pie wanted to do. It was the best time of his life. They water skied, went on a daytime camping trip, played dodge ball, and they gathered a big group of kids and played hide and go seek at night.

"I know you are going to do well, Hot Pie." Hot Pie pulled Gendry into a hug and his friend tightened his arms around him. Gendry tightened his grip as well. "I meant it when I said Arya and I will miss you."

"I know," as Hot Pie pulled away, he wiped the stray tears that fell from his eyes.

"Yeah, it definitely won't be the same with you," Arya commented before he pulled her into a bear hug. Softly, she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. Hot Pie's face turned violently red.

Even though Hot Pie had platonic feelings for Arya. It was his first time being kissed by a girl—even if it had been on the cheek.

"Hot Pie, it's not the big of a deal, it was just a kiss," Arya playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," he stammered.

Caught up in his own thoughts, Hot Pie missed the meaningful look shared between Arya and Gendry.

"Oh," Hot Pie put his backpack on the ground, and then pulled out something wrapped in aluminum foil. "Duncan let me make this last night—it's taste the best when it is hot."

Arya opened the aluminum foil and some a dessert of some sort. It was shaped as some animal.

"It's supposed to be a direwolf," he said as way of explanation. "I know that you said you and your family are really into direwolves, so I made it for you. I know it looks weird, but I promise you, it's really good. I hope it reminds you of Winterhell."

"Winterfell," she corrected.

Carefully, Arya broke off a piece of the wolf's foot and handed it to Gendry, and then broke off the other foot and bit into it.

"Umm," she gushed. "This is really good, Hot Pie."

"Thanks," he blushed.

"Really good," Gendry repeated. "Why didn't you make me one?"

"Because I already know that Arya is going to share it with you like she does everything else," he stated.

Another glance was exchanged. This time Hot Pie caught it.

It immediately felt different when Hot Pie's car pulled off. Arya and Gendry were sad to see him go. He definitely was valuable company and his presence would be missed. But, as of lately, his presence served another purpose. With Hot Pie around, Gendry and Arya didn't have a lot of alone time together. Every once and a while they did, but it wasn't much or long enough for something to happen

The moon sparkled on the lake as Arya and Gendry swam around. They weren't loud as they usually were to avoid being caught. Tonight was their weekly late night swim and they haven't been caught since starting a few months back.

Silently, the two splashed water at each other before wrestling. Gendry choked back a laugh as Arya giggled inaudibly.

"You cheat," she said in a hushed tone.

"Nope," he whispered. "You're just a sore loser."

Before Gendry could dunk her under the water again, Arya wrapped herself around his body and held tight. She smiled at him, and then burying her face in the crook of his neck. Gendry chuckled at the unfamiliar sensation. For a moment, Arya did nothing and said nothing.

Gendry should have known better to not think anything of it.

At first, he wasn't aware what she was doing. But, as Arya's ministrations became more pronounced, he couldn't ignore the affect she had on him. As if she had done it before, Arya suckled and nibbled on Gendry's neck. Gendry tried to refrain from moaning, but her hot tongue made his cock twitch in excitement. She then began to suck on his collarbone and Gendry moved his head to the side to allow her better excess.

Gendry relaxed his grip just enough to let Arya slide down his waist before grabbing her again. His hand was then placed on her ass and he pulled her close and rubbed his groin against her center. She gasped in delight. Arya went back to sucking on his neck before she started to place kisses from his neck to his chin. The friction between their legs began to intensify.

As Arya was about to kiss Gendry, he pushed her away.

"Gendry," Arya's voice almost sounded like she was trying to plead with him.

"We can't," Gendry shot at her. "I can't," he forced out. Arya stared at him as he stared at the water. "You can go on without me."

"What?" Arya didn't understand.

"I need a moment," Gendry emphasized need in order to get his idea across.

"Oh." Arya swam back to solid land and waited for Gendry to join her. A moment later, he joined her and walked her back to her cabin without saying anything.

They pretended like it never happened.

"Arya, your hand," Gendry gasped in desperation. Arya looked down and immediately snatched her hand away from Gendry's thigh. It had been his mid thigh to be precise.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I don't even remember placing my hand on your leg."

"It's okay." Gendry scooted away from her just a bit. He checked his watch, and then got up. "I have to go do something for Francine anyways."

"Okay," Arya said, and then watched Gendry leave. For the past three weeks, the camp workers had been asking Gendry to do stuff for them apart from their activities. He would carry heavy items for them, fix any motorized vehicles that were broken, and other miscellaneous things that they needed help with.

"Arya, I need to speak to you in my office now." Yoren gestured for the young adult to follow him as he walked at a brisk pace. In all of the time that Arya been at Wholistic Core, she had only been in Yoren's office for quarterly check-ins. They just met a few weeks ago, so she was puzzled as to why he needed to talk to her.

When they entered his office, Yoren snapped his fingers to get her attention, and then pointed at her then a chair. He roughly puled his chair back before plopping down in it, and then scooting closer to his desk.

"Leave Gendry alone," he proclaimed. Yoren pulled out a cigar, and then lit it. "Leave him alone now."

"What are you talking about?" Arya was perplexed.

"I'm talking about your Lolita act that you have going on," Yoren spelled out and Arya took slight.

"I don't have a Lolita 'act' going on," she denied. "And you have no idea what you are talking about," Arya lied.

Yoren puffed his cigar and exhaled slowly.

"You know what, I'm not going to be called a liar to my face," he declared. "This will be the first and last time you lie to me."

Arya stared at him nervously.

"I'm not stupid, Ms. Stark." Yoren took another drag of his cigar. "We're not stupid. You think we don't notice what's going on." Arya's stomach dropped. "We've noticed you and Gendry's behavior for a long, long time, but didn't do anything about it because we didn't want to overreact. It seemed innocent." He looked her in the eyes. "But, I know something has changed. I didn't have any proof of it, but there is nothing platonic about the feelings you two have for one another."

"What are you talking about," she feigned ignorance.

Yoren rolled his eyes at her. "Cut the crap, Arya." He leaned back in his chair. "I may not have my psychology degree, but I'm no dumbass either. Besides, my suspicions about you two were confirmed when I saw you and Gendry together before I called you over," he explained. "All that touching crap is going to stop."

"It was an accident," she blurted out.

"I don't give a damn," he dismissed. "I don't care if you slipped and fell and your hand landed there—stop touching him. We may have looked the other way with the smoking, late night swims, and all of that other shit, but this we aren't going to turn a blind eye to." Arya was startled at the revelation. "Yeah, yeah, we know about that," he grinned. "Smoking underage may be illegal, but that is your life you are ruining. But, having sex with Gendry ruins his life. Gendry is too good of a kid to get in that kind of trouble."

"Young adult," Arya automatically corrected.

"Fine, young adult," he conceded. "It's becoming increasingly obvious that you two want to fuck each other's brains out and that we can't allow."

It occurred to Arya that Yoren had been out of town that night she and Gendry almost had sex. If he had been here, they would have been had had this talk much sooner and, most likely, she and Gendry would have been permanently separated. She wondered how she got away with the lake incident.

"Why are you just talking to me?" The young girl crossed her arms.

"I've dealt with Gendry," Yoren flicked his cigar. "Why do you think he had been busy lately?" Her eyes widen in realization. They were keeping Gendry away from her. "But, you are the initiator here. You are the one touching him and invading his personal space. You've chipped away at his resolve so much that he will crumble at any time."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," she defended weakly.

"For the last time, I don't give a damn," Yoren licked his lips and smoked his cigar. "Do you think the police or your parents are going to care that YOU were the initiator and he was trying to fight YOUR advances. It doesn't matter how mature you are, you're fifteen and he is twenty-two. In the eyes of the law, that is statutory rape. Gendry is an adult and no one, outside of the camp, is going to believe he didn't take advantage of you."

"But, it is my decision." Arya said adamantly as she shot up out of her chair. "If I had sex with Gendry, it would have been because I wanted to and not because I was taken advantage of."

"Sit your ass down, young adult," he mocked. "You think your parents, the police, or the courts will care or even try to see it that way," Yoren incredulously stared at her. "If he's lucky, he would get charged and tried here and serve three to seven years, but I doubt your parents would be okay with that. So, let's see what the charges are for statutory rape in Winterfell," he speculated aloud as he typed on his computer. "Hmm…five to ten years because he is over 21." Yoren slapped him hands on the table and Arya jumped. "You really want your cherry popped by Gendry SO bad that you are willing to let him go to jail?"

Arya bit back tears. "Can I leave now?"

"Promise me you won't touch him," he demanded.

"I won't touch him," she choked out. Yoren glared at her. "I promise," she sighed. "Can I leave now?"

"You may go."

Arya waited for Yoren to go out of town again before she snuck into Gendry's room again. She climbed out on the air conditioning unit, and then opened his window and quickly jumped in.

Her stomach dropped when she heard Gendry groaned.

In shocked, she stared as Gendry stroked his cock in his firm grip. The noises from his mouth made her tingle in between her legs. As she watched him touch himself, she could feel her panties become soaking wet. Gendry's eyes were closed as he pleasured himself. He seemed to be lost in his own touch.

A huge grunt was let out, and then cum shot up onto Gendry's stomach. His hand changed positions and stroked from the top of his cock rather than the bottom of it. Some more cum squirted out. He softly gasped, and then opened his eyes.

"Arya!" Immediately, he covered himself. "What are you doing in here? HOW long have you been in here?"

"Umm…" she was at a loss for words. "I was coming to visit you and…"

"How much did you see?" Arya thought to herself, 'Not enough.'

"I should go," she put one leg out the window and was ducking down to move the rest of he body out, when Gendry grabbed her and pulled her back into the room.

There was an unforgiving pulse between her legs. Arya felt as if she was about to explode when Gendry grabbed her.

"Gendry," she warned and she looked at his cum stained stomach before looing up. He looked into her eyes and saw that her pupils were dilated. His hands released her and let her escape out his window.

As much as she tried, Arya couldn't fall asleep. She washed her hair, cleaned her room, re-organized her books, and attempted to style her hair when she fell to her bed in defeat. For the life of her, Arya couldn't get Gendry's cock out of her mind or his expression and the faces he made as he masturbated.

To occupy her time, she began to read a book that she hadn't gotten the time to finished. Without fail, she always lost herself in books. They had a way in engrossing her that she couldn't explore. Perhaps it could be due to the escapism?

She flew through the chapters and was almost finished when she heard her window open and Gendry climbed through it.

"Gendry?" Arya put her book down and jumped out of her bed. "What are you doing here?"

Gendry ignored her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Momentarily, Arya responded before pushing him away.

"What are you doing," she said in shock. "You could get in trouble for this. You could go to jail for this."

The young man looked confused by her words. "Why now?" He questioned. "You didn't care any other time when you would try to touch me."

"I wasn't thinking," Arya explained. "But, I don't want you to go to jail for having sex with me."

"But, no one has to know," he retorted. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Are you?"

"No, but that's not the poi—" Gendry abruptly kissed her and she moaned into his mouth.

"Then let's not think about it," he said as he backed up her to her bed.

"Gendry…" His mouth quieted Arya again as Gendry began to pull up her tank top.

"Just this once," he pleaded. Arya slowly shook her head up and down in agreement as she watched Gendry take off his shirt and let it fall to the floor. Tenderly, she kissed his stomach as her hands went to undo his shorts. When her hands went to his sides to pull them down, Gendry helped her.

A semi-erect penis was in front of Arya face and she grabbed it and stroked it the way she saw Gendry do earlier. Above her, she heard him groan. She continued to stroke him when she decided to try something else out. Inexperienced lips touched the head of Gendry's cock as he slightly jumped in surprise.

"Don't worry, I won't use my teeth," she then placed a kiss on the head of his cock before she licked his length. Appreciative noises filled the air. Arya's head bobbed up and down as she tried to pleasure Gendry with her mouth.

In a reluctant manner, she let Gendry's cock fall from her mouth and began to wiggle out of her shorts. Without hesitation, Gendry grabbed her waistband with both hands and swiftly pulled off the shorts for. While Gendry divested her of her shorts and panties, Arya took off her bra.

Arya gently tugged on Gendry to sit down on her bed. She made him face away from her as she placed her hands on his shoulders and planted kisses on his neck, and then his back. An overwhelming desire to hug him consumed Arya and she pulled him into her arms. Her breasts rubbed against Gendry's back. She loved him so much. Love? 'Where did that come from,' Arya wondered.

Slowly, she pulled Gendry towards her to lie on his back and moved out of the way, so he wouldn't land on her. In amazement, she drank on the magnificence of his body and her hands caressed his skin in shared opinion.

Lovingly, she kissed his forehead as she impaled herself on him. A strangled groan was caught in Gendry's throat, but Arya moaned loudly. She had been waiting for this so long. In support, Gendry raised his hands for Arya to use them to balance herself. In appreciation, she grabbed them as she rolled her hips and took him deeper.

It occurred to her, that she did not hurt when she took Gendry inside of her. Arya supposed it was because of how aroused she had been for him—of how much she wanted him.

Gendry rose up and placed his hands on her hips to the keep the rhythm. His loving words encouraged Arya to give him all of herself. The need to be close to him in the worse way possible struck her. Her arms were placed around his shoulders and Arya could feel the sweat on his skin.

Suddenly, Gendry flipped them over. He rocked into her without a care in the world and lost himself in her depths. Arya protested when he pulled out of her, but was silenced as he inserted fingers into her wetness. Her skin felt like it was on fire every time he kissed her skin as he made his way down to her vagina.

A sharp cry broke free of her and Arya grabbed Gendry's head as he desperately licked her nether regions. When she couldn't take it anymore, she pushed her hips forward and after a few firm licks, she climaxed. Arya looked down at the covers and saw his head rise. The face she saw wasn't Gendry's, but Hot Pie's.

Arya woke up in a cold sweat and abruptly sat up. Her breathing was loud and her panties were soaked. The window was closed.

"What the fuck," she said to herself. The book she was reading fell to the floor.

How quickly fantasies turned into nightmares.

"Fucking Hot Pie," she swore as she slipped her fingers between her legs so finish herself of. Arya willed Gendry's face into her head, and then muffled a cry into the pillows when she finished.

"It's nice to have you home," Catelyn said as she sat on her daughter's bed.

Arya would be home for a week before school started again at Wholistic Core.

The girl gave her mother a tight smile as she rubbed Nymeria.

"It's nice to be home," she replied. It was a half-truth. As much as she loved being back at Winterfell, she missed Gendry.

Catelyn gently touched her daughters face. "Gods, you look so much older than when I last saw you, but haven't grown anymore since then." Arya's first visit had been in December. When Catelyn noticed how much her daughter had outgrown her current wardrobe, she took her shopping for a new wardrobe. Usually, Catelyn would tell Arya what she should get, but not this time. She stood back and let her daughter go shopping for herself.

"Arya, I'm sorry for not taking the time out to listen to you back in April," her mother apologized. "And for not hearing your side every opportunity I had after that before you left." Catelyn seemed genuinely troubled about overlooking Arya's feelings during that whole ordeal.

"It's fine, mom," Arya reassured. "Yeah, I was hurt, but I understand. You guys had so much on your plate and was trying to decrease the fallout out as much as possible."

"There's no excuse," she squeezed her daughter's hand lovingly and in remorse. "I should have thought of you and how you felt."

"You're right, it isn't an excuse," she agreed. "But, you and dad are human. It would be hypocritical of me to crucify you all for making a mistake with all of the shit I pull on a regular basis."

Catelyn gave her daughter a look. "Arya, that's very mature of you, but you are going to stop cursing around your father and I so casually AND to get reactions out of us."

"Sorry," she said. Catelyn placed a kiss on her forehead.

"That's all right," Catelyn pulled Arya closer. "Just don't do it again."

Her father apologized later on that night.

"Sweetheart, I failed you a few months back," his tone was distraught and his eyes looked to be in deep despair. Despite Arya's anger and lingering resentment about not being heard out, she thought fail to be a strong word. "I can't apologize enough for not paying enough attention to you."

Ned was in front of Arya bent on one knee as Arya sat on the edge of the couch. He had gently gripped her forearms in his hands as he spoke to her.

"Dad, you didn't fail me," Arya disagreed.

"No, I did," he replied. "You were right: your mother and I did not hear your side of the story and that was unacceptable."

"I mean, I agree," she said. "You all should have heard me out, but neither you or mom failed me. Sending me to Wholistic Core was a good idea. I feel that it has really benefitted me."

Ned got off of his knee and sat next to Arya on the couch. "That's good. That's what your mother and I had in mind when we researched for places for you to stay."

"I thought as much," she shrugged. "I just…I understand why you guys were angry and disappointed, but I wished that you and mom had heard every side of the story rather than everyone's except mine. I know I come off strong-headed and that I'm quick to fight, but you guys know me." Arya stared at her lap. "You guys know that I don't just fight people for no reason at all."

Arya leaned on her father's shoulder. "Do you want to tell us your side of the story, now," he asked. "I'm a open ear."

"No, I don't want to talk about it," she hugged her father, and then stood up. "But, I do want to talk about it one day."

She and Sansa didn't utter a word to one another during her stay home inDecember. At first, Arya assumed that Sansa was still mad at her about Joffrey. Then she realized that her sister was ashamed of what happened back in April and didn't know what to say. It wasn't until she set off for the airport at the end of her stay, that she realized this. As Arya hugged Robb, Jon, Bran, and Rickon Sansa stared with a look of want in her eyes. It was not envy, but rather longing. Sansa longed to have the easiness with Arya that she had with their brothers. But, they were like oil and water most of the time.

Arya may have forgiven her brothers, but she had a harder time forgiving her sister, regardless of the circumstances.

When she visited over the summer, Arya spent the first three days with her family, and then the last four hanging out with Ned and Mycah. It dawned on her as she hung out with the two of them that they were her good friends, her close friends, but not her best friends. Gendry was her best friend. He was the person that understood her better than anyone else. He was the one who she connected to better than anyone else.

When Arya first got her period, she remembered in vivid detail how they were in the middle of a team building exercise and her tan shorts had been stained. She didn't know what to do. Almost as if he could sense her distress, Gendry asked her what was wrong and Arya looked between her legs. Thinking quick on his feet, he snuck Arya away from the exercise not bringing any attention to her or himself and brought her back to her room. He told Arya to clean herself up as he found her a new outfit to wear, and then disappeared from her room before reappearing with some tampons. She didn't ask him how he found it, she was just grateful that he did.

Ned could drive now and he took them to the mall and to the movies. He had grown a little bit taller, but not as tall as Gendry. Mycah was also taller as well.

Before she left to return to Wholistic Core, Arya had her mom make various types of cookies.

"You know I'm only making these because I won't see you again, until Thanksgiving," Catelyn informed.

"I know, mom," Arya replied.

Last Thanksgiving, Arya didn't get to come home because their was a massive snowstorm in Winterfell. It had lasted for days. It delayed her plane before it became useless to even go home, which was why her visit for postponed until December.

"Did you bring any of your mom's cookies back," Gendry asked her as he helped carry her bags back to her room.

"Gendry," Arya said in mock offense. "I just got here and rather than ask how my trip was and how I have been, you ask about my mom's cookies."

Gendry looked as if he didn't see a problem with that. "Yeah," he shrugged as a grin played on his lips. Arya hit Gendry softly and sat her bags down. She went to her book bag, and pulled out a big Tupperware of cookies.

"You're so awesome, you know that," Gendry scarfed four cookies before he breathed again. "I know you already know that, but it doesn't hurt to say it again."

It was not with a bang, but rather a whimper that Arya realized she was in love with Gendry. How else could see explain the flutter in her stomach as she watched him ungraciously devoured the cookies while crumbs gathered around his mouth? She thought it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Her chest tightened and her throat became dry.

"Are you going to save me any," she croaked out. Gendry tossed her a cookie and Arya threw it back at him. He guffawed loudly as Arya could swore her heart was beating, and then patted the bed for her to sit next to him.

'In my dreams, we made love on this bed,' she thought.

Arya sat on the bed and Gendry picked up a cookie and positioned it in front of her mouth. She wouldn't open her mouth.

"Come on," he coaxed as he pressed the cookie against her lips as he laughed.

Looking him directly in the eyes, Arya sat a hand on his hand that held the cookie and opened her mouth before slowly taking a bit of it. Every last bit of the cookie was thoroughly chewed, as Arya never broke contact. She gulped down the treat, and then licked her lips. She opened her mouth to be feed the rest of the cookie.

Gendry cleared his throat and stood up.

"Uh," he handed her the rest of the cookie. "I have to go help Yoren with something."

She stared at the door long after he left.

All hell broke loose in April.

"What do you mean you are leaving in two day," Arya yelled. "The program doesn't end until June,"

Gendry tried to put his hands on Arya's shoulders, but she shook him off.

"Don't touch me!"

"Arya, I just found out about this," he tried to explain. "Leslie said that I would make a great group leader and that I could go to the training seminar if I was interested."

"So," Arya glared. "Why can't you go next year?"

"I could go next year, but either way after June, I won't be here anymore." Arya stopped and looked at him. "You can be in this program up until you are twenty-two—I'm twenty-three. Leslie only let me stay another year because I was twenty-two when the next cycle started."

"I don't even know you were interested in being a group leader," she said in a leveled tone.

"I wasn't," he admitted. "But, these people here—they treat one another like family. They love one another like family. I never had a family."

"I can be your family," she declared passionately.

Gendry lowered his head. "You wouldn't be my family," he announced. Before Arya's heart could break, he then said, "You'd be my lady."

The people here felt like brothers and sisters and the feelings he had for Arya was not what a brother had for his sister. Gendry needed her to understand that the offer she provided was not one she could fulfill, as he wanted more from her. To pretend as if they could deny reality would do neither of them any good. He was leaving to be apart of a family. He was leaving in order to prevent himself from crossing that line.

Arya heard him loud and clear. The words translated easily enough. If he stayed, she would become his woman in every sense of the word. It was only a matter a time. It would also land him in jail. Most importantly, he wanted to finally have a family. He wanted a family like the one she had back at home.

For the next two days, she avoided him like the plague. Arya understood why he was leaving, but it still hurt nevertheless. An hour before he was set to leave, she hugged him as she nestled her head against his chest. Tentatively, he placed a kiss on her forehead and that sat like that until he car pulled up.

Two months later, she sat at her last meeting and listened to Leslie talk. The last big meeting included family members as well.

"Okay, now we are down to our last award," she said excitedly. "This person has shown model behavior, completed every assignment exceedingly well, and has gone above and beyond for her fellow peers. This person has taught other campers new skills or has helped them practice it. Even went as far as teaching two of her fellow peers reading comprehension," Arya's head snapped up. "I present the award for Most Outstanding Citizen to Arya Stark."

A round of applause was made for Arya as she accepted the award.

"Do you have anything you would like to say?" Leslie warmly hugged Arya.

Arya was choked with emotion and bit her lip in order to contain her emotions. "I didn't think anyone noticed," she replied to the executive director.

"We've noticed," she assured.

"Umm," Arya looked at the award. "Honestly, I was just having fun and enjoyed helping out people when they needed help. I never thought I would get an award for it."

Out of habit, she looked for Gendry in the crowd, but he wasn't there.

Her eyes came across a girl named Jenny Barenbaum. A couple of days after Arya and Gendry first kissed, she saw Jenny flirting with Gendry. Only now did she realize that it was jealously. She had been jealous.

After the award ceremony was over, she got into a car with her family and half way listened to them as they congratulated her on her award.

As the airplane descended above the clouds, Arya wondered if she would ever see Gendry again.


	5. Young Blood (Or, A Movie Script Ending)

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you," Arya recited as she pushed the suspect up against the wall, and then yanked his arms behind his back so she could handcuff him.

"I didn't do anything, you stupid bitch," the man spat as he struggled against her.

"Of course you didn't; I'm just taking you to the police station to reward you for being an outstanding citizen," she quipped, and then tightened the cuffs even more. Grabbing his arm, Arya guided the suspect to her police vehicle. "Come on, Prince Charming, we have a ball to get to."

Firmly, Arya pushed the suspect's head down so he wouldn't hit his head, and then closed the door behind him once he was all of the way in the car. The detainee uttered profanity filled slurs as Arya drove him to the station, but it didn't bother her. Even before she applied to become an officer, she knew that she would have to develop a thick skin in order to handle the criminals…and co-workers.

"Take these cuffs off of me and I'll show you what I can do, twat," he threated as he legs kicked the divider.

Arya made eye contact with him in the rear view mirror. "Like you did earlier?" The delivery was monotone and her face was blank. Criminals were hardly original with their threats or name-calling. After being called every derogatory name in the book, she had become desensitized to those antics by now. "If it is going to be a repeat of before, I would rather you not. It was embarrassing enough the first time."

A scream filled the car and he kicked the divider again.

"I will say this," she commented as she took a glance back before focusing on the road again. "You throw a better tantrum than my five year old niece and, boy, let me tell you, she can throw a tantrum."

The car became immediately silent.

Ten minutes later, Arya arrived at the police station and went straight to booking. She wasted no time in completing her report and had a fellow officer proofread it as she went to grab a doughnut and cup of coffee from the break room.

"Everything looks good." The report was handed back to her when she arrived back at his desk.

"Thanks, Mitch," she threw two fingers up in a slight wave as she made her way to her desk.

"No problem," he muttered.

Arya filed her report, and then tied up loose ends before leaving work for the day.

"Marco!" Arya yelled as she raised her hands in the air.

"Arya!" Marco copied her actions. They laughed at each other. "What can I get for you today, Officer Stark."

Arya seemed to give it some thought. "Ehh…I don't know," she shrugged. "Should I get the meat lover's pizza with green peppers or the chicken and bacon ranch?"

Out of habit, she put a cigarette into her mouth and was about to light it when Marco pointed to a sign.

"Seriously," her eyes pleaded with him. "Just this one time."

"No," he laughed. "Last time you said the same thing and the time before last. We are trying to class this place up and we can't with your cigarette smoke filling the place."

"You mean classy with a 'K'?" Marco mock glared at her as Arya began to walk to the door. "I'm going to be outside with my unclassy behavior. I'll take the meat lover's pizza."

"Just hold on a second," he called. "I already have it ready."

Marco pulled a pizza out of the warmer and walked over to her.

"How did you know I would order this," Arya asked as she opened the pizza box.

"I anticipated your needs." Marco wiped his hands on his apron, and then cut off the neon sign that said 'open'.

"I've been known to anticipate some needs myself," she said suggestively as she waggled her eyebrows, and then took a bite of her pizza.

The pizza man laughed, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "You couldn't handle me, Arya."

"Meet me in the back out my car after I finish my slice and I'll make a believer out of you." Arya took the pizza and led Marco to her car. As she pulled her keys out of her pocket, she sat the pizza on the hood of the car. After she put her pizza in the passenger seat, she pulled her wallet from her pocket to pay Marco.

"It's on the house," he said as he waved he shoved her hands away in offense. "You're one of our best customers—it's on us today."

"Thanks," Arya smiled at him. "So, are we going to do this or what?"

There was a shared grin between the two before Marco enveloped Arya in a hug.

"Enjoy your pizza." He shook his head and walked away.

"Your loss," she yelled, and then chuckled to herself.

Arya and Marco would joke around about being sexually interested in one another, but they really weren't. They were both single, but there wasn't any romantic or sexual attraction between them. Now, Marco was incredibly attractive—that much was true. But, he was too good of a friend or, worker of a restaurant she frequented and joked around with regularly, to think of him beyond his current status.

Besides the term attractive, Arya didn't know if she had a type per se. The guys she had interest in had nothing alike besides being appealing to look at.

To be honest, Arya wasn't even sure what she wanted. And every time someone would ask her what exactly did she want, she would say, "Not this." Even she didn't have the faintest clue what the hell that meant. Perhaps, it had to do with the fact that Arya felt that people were trying to force her into a lifetime commitment when she wasn't sure if that was a commitment she could make. Maybe she wasn't meant to settle down. Or, she was still too young to tie herself to someone for the rest of her life.

Arya was only twenty-five. She still had time to figure out what it was that she wanted.

At first, she thought that her second thoughts about her impending marriage were jitters or, at least, that was what she tried to convince herself. But, in her heart, Arya had been unsure about getting married even when she said yes. She accepted the proposal because she was afraid of letting her parents down as well as everyone else who had supported her relationship, she didn't want to hurt her boyfriend by saying no, and she was unsure as to what she wanted so didn't want to end the relationship.

With the TV on mute, she watched some cliché love story with a happy ending. As she ate her pizza, a piece of sausage fell on her chest. She picked up the runaway meat and threw it in her mouth.

'Hollywood love stories are bullshit,' Arya thought as she sipped her beer. Why couldn't they show something realistic for once? But then again, people liked to be fed bullshit. They knew that these moves were fantasies. People watched movies all of the time as an escapism mechanism.

These fictional couples always had to overcome insurmountable odds, incompatibility, or both and end up together in some unrealistic fashion. Why couldn't the movie play on? Why couldn't the viewers be shown the regret and animosity the two felt for one another because of their dumbass decisions?

Arya flopped onto her back and looked at the ceiling.

Only Hollywood would have you believe that true love conquered all in the end. Life taught you otherwise.

She loved Gendry and he left. He didn't come back for her and proclaim his love—damned the consequences. But, Arya supposed that was a dangerous and foolish love. It was one that could have ruined his life.

Most importantly, they never spoke about love or being in love. Arya doubted that Gendry would have said either. He always tried to draw lines that Arya routinely muddled. And every time, he would re-draw it as if he expected Arya to listen the next time, but she never did.

Or it could have been lust.

He was young and inexperienced and she had been throwing herself at him. Yoren was right; Arya did want Gendry to pop her cherry that bad.

Either way, Gendry was a good person. Even to this day, Arya still held to the opinion that if anything had happened, it was because she wanted it to happen. Whether or not she was being taken advantaged of (which she wasn't), it was her lust that did most of her talking. The other part, the one she could barely admit, was that she did want to make love to him. It was the only thing she had dreamt about the whole summer after she left Wholistic Core:

Her dreams were passion filled and sweaty and Arya would wake up with a devastating ache between her legs. Without a second thought, she would finish herself off after she woke up.

Arya went downstairs and saw an abundance of food on the table. This was how the Stark family meals looked when the servants cooked. Fancy, foreign foods would be prepared and there would be a variety of fruits, breads, and beverages sitting on the table for their disposal. Only when her mother decided that she wanted to cook for the family or they had their days off was when the table wasn't completely covered with food.

The young woman fixed herself a plate, grabbed an apple, and poured herself some water. Hungrily, she bit into her croissant and moaned at the deliciousness of it.

"Hey," Arya heard Sansa say.

In a suspicious manner, Arya glanced at her sister, "Hey yourself."

"Why do you hate me," Sansa asked in a quiet tone.

Arya sat down her piece of bacon and looked at Sansa. There were a thousand things she wanted to say to her and nothing at all at the same time. How could she adequately explain how she was feeling without strangling her older sister?

"I don't hate," she offered plainly.

"Yes, you do," Sansa looked hurt as she denied Arya's answer. "I've tried for years to be a good sister and the one time I mess up, you hold it against me and hardly speak to me because of it."

A loud exhale was released from Arya's mouth. "Sansa, I DON'T hate you. I'm just so fucking tired of this whole victim act—of everything being about you. What about the things you have done to ME?"

"I have never done anything to you," Sansa quickly contradicted. "And everything is not about me nor do I put on a victim act," she cried.

"Then you are one hell of a revisionist historian because you seem to believe your own reality, which are filled with lies." Sansa stared at shock at her sister.

"Oh really, what have I done," she inquired. "How do I paint myself as a victim?"

Tension radiated off of Arya as she ate her food before she decided to speak.

"I wasn't upset at you for taking Joffrey's side two years ago," Arya began. "It's something that you would do—automatically assume I was in the wrong without even asking me. But, it was when you accused me of hating you so much that I would try to hurt you that upset me. You made a fight that had absolutely NOTHING to do with you all about me supposedly hating you. It was about you, you, you!" She took a deep breath. "You seem to think that everything I do is in reaction to you and it isn't—it never was. You used to say that I was always bothering you, but I was a kid, Sansa. I was just having fun and doing stupid shit to irritate you, I never did anything to hurt you." Arya took another bite of her food. "You may have not started Arya horseface or Arya underfoot, but you sure as hell went along with it…you didn't try to defend me. You even told Joffrey about it. And for a very long time, I thought that I was ugly and I accepted that. I mean, even pretty Sansa agreed."

"Arya, I was just—"

"AGAIN! It's about you," she cried. "Will you ever stop? Arguably the worst day if my life and you had to make everything about you." Tears streamed down Arya's face as she spoke. "You said everything in your power to try to hurt me, and then when I said something, you began to cry as if you didn't just get through saying crude shit to me. And you just let me take all of the blame for it because you were too afraid to get in trouble yourself. And I took the blame because I can't force you to have a backbone and accept the negative consequences. You have to learn that on your own. I've never hated you—I've just hate the weakness that lives in you."

Sansa looked as if she had been slapped in the face. With that, Arya left her sister to her own thoughts.

A week later, Arya left with her parents to go visit Braavos. They took a tour of the city before scouting out schools and determining which would be the best one for her to attend. After careful deliberation, Braavos Preparatory Academy was chosen. The registration was quick and painless and the Stark trio checked out a model room and the campus one more time before getting a bite to eat.

Arya excitedly spoke about her new school when she noticed that her mother wasn't really into the conversation.

"What's wrong, mom?" Arya was worried. Catelyn looked to be usually sad and was staring into her cup of coffee.

A tight smiled appeared on Catelyn's sad face and she grabbed her cup with both hands. "Nothing." She took a glance at her daughter, and then stared back to her cup.

"Mom," Arya extended her arm across the table and clasped her mother's hand.

Tears started to fall down her face and, quickly, Catelyn grabbed a napkin and dapped at them. "It's just…you just moved back home a month ago after being away for two years and now you are going move out again in a few weeks," she sniffed. "I feel as if I barely had any time to spend with you."

Ned wrapped his arms around his wife and whispered into her ear. It seemed to make Catelyn cry more.

"I'm going to miss her so much." Her head burrowed further into Ned's shoulders and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"It'll be all right sweetheart." Ned kissed her on the forehead, and then gently rested his chin on her head. "Everything will be fine."

"Mom," Arya began as she got up and sat next to her mother. "We still have the summer and I'll be able to visit you more."

Catelyn looked at her daughter, and then pulled Arya into her arms.

"Thank you." Catelyn decorated her daughter's face with kisses as the young woman "ewwed" and playfully tried to escape.

After she came back from her visit to Braavos, Arya spent a great deal of time with her mother. Arya helped her mother with gardened and, in turn, was taught the fundamentals of gardening. Her mother had all kinds of gardens that ranged from flowers to vegetables to fruits. They would toil in the sun together and Arya would tell her mother about her adventures at Wholistic Core. Catelyn responded by telling her daughter what she did as a youth.

Other times, Arya would volunteer her time in her mother's clubs like the community service, mentoring, and even the sewing club, despite being terrible with needle and thread. Catelyn seemed to cherish the extra time Arya had decided to spend with her.

"When are you going to forgive, Sansa," Catelyn seemed focused on the flowers ahead of her as she spoke.

"What do you mean," Arya wiped the back of her hand against her forehead to wipe some off.

Catelyn raised an eyebrow before taking off her gardening gloves. "Sansa isn't you, Arya. She doesn't see things the way you do or react the same way. She tries to see the good in everyone, where as you see them for how they are. You have to let who her who she is and forgive her for who she is not? Accept that you two are wired differently," she said in a nurturing tone. "Your opinion of her is just a toned down version of how you claim others think about you."

"Mom," Arya sighed. "Sansa just…she's irksome. Everything is always about her and she always sees herself as some sort of victim that things just happen to."

"That's not fair, Arya." The sun continued to bore down on them unrelentlessly. "Something occurred to me the other day…I apologized for not listening to you about the fight, but I never apologized to you about Sansa. What happened there?"

Arya stilled for a second. "You heard what happened?"

"No, I heard the tail-end of a presumably much larger argument," Arya helped her mother off of the ground.

"We both said some things we shouldn't have said," she began. "I was the only one who was caught." Arya wondered what was the use in continuing to make her sister suffer for something she was over. "I'll go talk to her."

"Thank you," Catelyn hugged her daughter.

As a peace offering, Arya went up to Sansa's room with a plate of lemon cakes.

Gently, she knocked the door before opening it.

"Do you mind if I come in," Arya showed her the plate of cookies and Sansa gestured for her to enter.

"Sure. What's up," Sansa said in a tone that had a hint of uneasiness. Arya sat the cookies on the bed as the both of them took one off the plate.

"I'm sorry," Sansa looked at Arya in surprise.

"For what?" There was a genuine look of confusion on Sansa's face.

"For the things I've said to you and how I treated you back then," Arya explained.

"No, I'm supposed to be apologizing," Sansa corrected. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. You were right: that fight wasn't even about me. Also, I shouldn't have approached you the way I did. It was uncalled for."

Arya shook her head. "Sansa, you don't understand." Arya exhaled, and then looked at her hands. "Yeah, you should have approached me that way, but for years you made an effort to at least try to get to know me. I have never done that. All I ever did was bother you and look down upon you for being like the rest of them: for liking boys and going shopping. I was being self-centered—not trying to understand other people and only thinking about myself as well as how I believed that no one understood me. I can see why you thought I hated you. But, I don't and I never have. I've always loved you, always." As an afterthought, she added, "And you aren't weak."

"Still," Sansa whispered. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. I didn't understand how much my opinion matter to you or how much my words had an impact on you until Ned and Mycah asked why you weren't talking to them as much." She shook her head. "I guess I was jealous because you may not have as many friends as me, but you do have real friends. I like my friends, but we aren't nearly as close as you are with Ned and Mycah.

"I shouldn't have called you stupid," Arya admitted. "Or that guys only liked you to get into your pants—that was mean-spirited."

"But, it was true, right." Her sister shrugged. "Not the stupid part, but when guys are so nice to me. I mean, so really do like me, but the rest are just trying to have sex with me. I was as equally mean-spirited myself."

The two girls lay on the bed together as they ate cookies and tried to start their relationship anew.

Before Arya knew it, she had moved to Braavos and school had started. The remainder of her weeks was spent with Mycah and Ned visited a few times, but not too much. Arya figured it was because he was going to college in Braavos and they wouldn't be down the street from each other. Her transition was easy enough and she loved her new school. The kids were awesome and the teachers were great. It was a laid back atmosphere that took school seriously, but in a fun way.

Ned would visit her a few times a week or she would visit his dorm room. Sometimes, they went out to eat or would do things together. If Arya needed him to, Ned would help Arya with her homework and let her bounce ideas off of him to help her. Eventually, they had become inseparable.

People thought that Arya had a college boyfriend and she would insist that they were just friends. But, Ned didn't look at her the way a friend should. He was clearly love struck and had been for a while. Arya wonder if she led him on or if he feelings were based on their friendship like hers had developed with Gendry. Some days she didn't think about the raven haired, blue eyed boy and other days he was all she thought about.

At some point, she learned to suppress her thoughts of him. Some days, it felt like he didn't exist. How could he? No one who complimented her that well would just enter her life only to live it again on his or her own violation.

Over time, she started to see Ned in a new way—in a more than friendly way. Often, she found herself just looking at Ned for know reason at all or smiling just because. Arya may have teased Ned a lot—in a friendly way, of course—but he really was a sweet guy. He was funny and treated her really well. They couldn't talk about almost anything, but he would listen to her and would incredibly understand her. He tried to be the shoulder that she leaned on and was there whenever she needed him.

They were listening to Death Cab for Cutie with the volume on low as Ned rambled on about something when Arya suddenly said:

"Ned, you talk too much." Arya looked at him curiously as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Sorry," he blushed at her touch.

"Don't be," she muttered. Ned's eyes had widened in shock when he saw her lean in for a kiss. He was about to say something, when Arya said, "Don't ruin the mood, Ned."

Arya pulled Ned in closer to her to deepen the kiss as Ned wrapped his arms around her.

The next few days, they spent their time making out when they were alone, which was a lot. Ned was as eager as she expected him to be and he was half bad either. But, what would Arya know, she had only kissed one guy before him and that was once.

"We should go out on a date," Ned suggested after they broke apart. "A real date where I bring you flowers and take you to dinner."

"Ned," Arya began. "I'm just fine staying in. We don't have to go out."

"But, I want to," he explained. "I want to take you to nice places because that is what people do when they like each other—they go out and have a good time."

Ned placed a kiss on her nose before kissing Arya on the corner of her mouth, and then her lips.

"Okay, fine," she relented before they went back to making out.

When March rolled around, Arya spent her spring break at home.

As she and her dad watched movies, they shared cookie dough ice cream out of the carton. Catelyn walked in and stared in disgust of not eating out of a bowl.

"Don't worry, mom, we're going to finish it," Arya promised.

"That's not my only worry," she said, and then placed a kiss on Arya's forehead and one on Ned's mouth. Catelyn's lips lingered against Ned's for a moment just before Ned began to tickle her. "Stop, Ned," she giggled. "Stop," she whispered again as he tried to grab her. Arya felt vaguely uncomfortable at the sight. She knew this meant that they were having sex later on tonight. "I don't want your appetite's to be spoiled for dinner."

"We'll be fine, Cat," Ned said as he unexpectedly grabbed his wife and she fell into his lap. "You can NEVER spoil a Stark's appetite; you should know that by now."

Her parents began to peck at each other's lips.

"Am I not right here," Arya said as she stared at the TV. "This could give me a whole new set of issues to deal with."

Catelyn hit Arya, and then disentangled herself from Ned.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty," she announced. Catelyn walked into the kitchen, and then peaked around the door frame, "That reminds me: can you help me with something, Ned."

Arya looked back and forth between her parents.

A sly smile materialized on Ned's face.

"No problem," he said as he got up.

"Eww, gross," Arya laughed.

"What?" Catelyn put her hands on her hips.

Arya cackled into the couch cushions. "You know what."

"Arya, your father and I aren't about to go have sex," Catelyn stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, sex is not gross—it's what made you and your siblings."

No," Arya said as she looked at her parents. "I'm pretty sure it's gross when you know your parents are about to fool around."

Catelyn waved her off, and then grabbed Ned's hand as they left out of the room.

During dinner, it was hard to miss that her parents were smiling from ear to ear. Arya waggled her eyebrows, which her mother ignored. Ned tried to hide his smile as he ate his food.

"I just can't believe that you aren't going to prom," Sansa said as she picked at her food. Her older sister was back in town for the weekend. She heard that Arya was on spring break and wanted to visit. "It's not like you had any other chance to go since you were at that camp for two years."

Arya cut up her steak as she listened to Sansa. "I decided to go after all."

"Really?" Bran said in a perplexed tone as her family looked at her.

"Yeah, really," she played down. "I can't changed my mind anymore."

"It's not that," Bran began. "You were just so set on not going, is all."

"Well, Sansa has convinced me of the error of my ways," she supplied, but Sansa didn't look confident in her younger sister's words.

"That's great news," Ned offered. "Are you going to go with anyone? It's a little late to be looking for a date, you know? I mean, if you are going with anyone, that is."

Sansa and Catelyn started to rattle off potential dates as Arya held her hands up in front of her.

"Hold you horses, you know," Arya laughed as she looked at her mother and sister. "I don't need you to find me a date."

"So, you're going by yourself," Sansa asked. Curiosity colored her face as she waited for an answer.

"No," she stated.

"So, who is your date?" Catelyn glanced at her daughter as she gestured for Ned to pass her some food.

"Ned," Arya supplied.

As Sansa was about to speak, Robb walked in.

"Sorry, I am late, everyone," he apologized as he quickly made himself a plate and sat down. "So, what did I interrupt?"

"Arya just said that she is going to prom with Ned," Rickon provided.

Robb laughed. "You're going with Ned Dayne?"

"What's so funny about that?" Arya stared at her older brother as he grinned to himself.

"Nothing," he dismissed. "It's just that Ned has had a thing for you for years. Kid has got it bad." Robb smiled to himself as he ate. "He would KILL for a chance to be boyfriend."

"Well, he doesn't have to." Before Arya stuffed her mouth with food, she muttered, "Because he is."

Sansa started choking.

"Wait? What?" Ned looked at Arya expecting an answer, as did everyone else at the table. "I'm going to need you to repeat that for me."

"Ned and I are dating," Arya gave a smile as if to say 'surprise'.

"For how long?" Sansa asked in shock.

"Since December."

"What?" Sansa gasped unbelievingly. "You've been dating Ned since December—four for months and didn't say anything. How did it happen? I mean, like, how did he ask you out? Where did he take you? How was the date? What was your first kiss like? Did you like it?" Her sister asked a series of questions in a rapid-fire manner.

Arya stared wide-eyed at Sansa as she tried to formulate answers in her head.

"Umm…" She looked around the table at her family. "It just did," she answered weakly.

"Your first kiss doesn't kind of just happen," Sansa said in an exaggerated voice. Arya didn't want to correct her sister and tell her that she was two years too late for her first kiss. That would lead to a discussion she never wanted to have…ever.

"Well, mine did just happen," Arya tried to downplay.

"I can't believe you kept this a secret from us for four months," Catelyn was in pure disbelief. It boggled her mind that Arya could be this secretive—for no reason.

"I didn't see it as a huge deal," she explained.

"How can you not see it as a huge deal," Sansa exclaimed. "This is your first boyfriend."

"Oh God," Catelyn groaned. "You and Ned will be attending the same university in a few months."

"Mom!" Arya gave Catelyn a dirty look.

"What?" Catelyn leaned back in her chair. "I am just being realistic. Ned is a nineteen-year-old guy and you two will be going to school together—you'll have a lot of alone time. He might want to…"

"MOM!" The girl stared at her mother in shock. "Seriously?"

"Honestly," Robb began. "I wouldn't be concerned about Ned trying to make a move on Arya—if anything were to happen, it would be she initiate it."

Did Robb just throw her under the bus? Her older brother read her expression.

"Arya, I'm just saying he waited how many years to make a move?" Robb drank his beer. "It's more likely that you made the move that resulted in you two dating. Ned just doesn't have it in him. Not saying that there is anything wrong with that."

"The only reason Ned didn't make a move is because I shot him down the first and only time he tried to kiss me when I was thirteen," Arya informed before realizing what she said.

"Ned tried to kiss you when you were thirteen," her father repeated.

"Dad, it was forever ago—lets move on."

"Arya," Catelyn said to get her attention.

"What?" Arya leaned forward in her chair. "Ned tried to kiss me and I pushed him away and nothing happened after that, I promise."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because there was nothing to tell," Arya bit a piece of her steak. "He tried to kiss me at his parents party, but I refused him. I didn't tell you all about it because I didn't see it as a big deal and you were so happy that I made a friend that night."

Catelyn did the mental math for a moment. "Hold on, Ned tried to kiss you the first night you two met."

Arya groaned and rested her head in the table.

When Prom rolled around. Arya actually enjoyed herself. She wore a simply white dress with a black lace built and black heels. Sansa put a few curls in her hair and she wore earrings that dangle. As a finishing touch, Sansa put some body glitter on her. Her parents had given her the sex talk days in advance, but Arya didn't plan on having sex with Ned that night. It was so cliché and she wasn't looking for romance, but she was trying to have sex by a deadline either.

Once they actually arrived at the place Prom was being held, Arya and Ned went to talk to some of Arya friends, they took pictures, and danced for a bit. The after Prom that the school held was enjoyable as well, and then they went with some friends to go midnight bowling and to eat before she and Ned went back to her room.

It was six when they arrived to her room. After the both of them took off of their shoes, they fell asleep in Arya's bed.

When the school year ended, Arya went back to her parent's house and Ned visited as much as possible. Her family didn't give Ned too much grief because they liked him and they knew he was a good guy. Mycah wasn't too surprised by the development between Ned and Arya when he first found out back in January. The dynamics of their friendship wasn't much too different considering that he and Arya had been friends first and for way longer.

Around September they have sex. They are at Ned's place and Arya doesn't want to go back to her dorm. Instead, they cuddle and Arya decides she wants to have sex instead. Shortly after it begins, it ends. Ned apologizes profusely and Arya finds that she doesn't care too much that it was over in a jiffy. She finishes herself off, and then waits an hour before she and Ned attempts another try at sex. It was five minutes tops.

Times flies by and before Arya knows it, a year has gone by.

Jon invites her and Ned to a Halloween party that he is throwing. He had ended his tour two months prior and would be back home for a few more months. The party is custom themed, of course and Ned goes as Ken from Street fighter and Arya goes as Chung Li. Although Ned isn't as muscular as Ken, he still looks nice in his custom.

Once the party ends, it's just Jon, Ygritte, Sansa, Willas Tyrell, Ned, Arya, Robb, and Jeyne left.

They all are sitting at a table playing cards, but not really paying attention. Ygritte is sitting on Jon's lap as she gulps from a Hennessy bottle. She passes to Jeyne in order, so she could take a sip.

The topic at the moment is first kisses.

Arya drinks out of the Vodka bottle as she listened to the discussion.

"Ugh, my first kiss was horrible," Ygritte, complained. "His breathe smelled disgusting and he was shoved his tongue down my throat. I almost threw up in my mouth," she made a face, and then added, "Jon made me promise that I wouldn't tell you all about our first kiss."

Jon pinched his girlfriend's side and she wiggled on his lap in response.

"Everyone know that that is not true," Jon made clear. "I had my first kiss when I was fourteen. I was walking this girl named Olive home from school, and then gave her a kiss when I dropped her off at home."

"Was there tongue, groping, or anything?" Ygritte probed.

"No," Jon answered. "Just a kiss on the mouth."

"How boring," Ygritte yelled. "What about you Robb?"

"Mine wasn't exciting either," he shrugged. "I got to touch her knee."

"Bare skinned or clothed," she asked excitedly.

"Clothed."

"Next!" The red head looked at Sansa, a fellow red head. "Please, tell me you have something interesting."

"We kissed under the st—"

"Next!" Jeyne was the next victim.

"Spin the bottle—it was a peck," Jeyne shrugged.

Arya was in a buzzed state as she laughed at Ygritte. She sipped out of the Vodka bottle once more, and then lay on the floor.

"Ned," Ygritte called out. "Even though I should know better, I'm expecting for you to surprise me."

"Just a little tongue," he admitted.

"Thank God," she exclaimed in relief. "Man, you guys have no excitement or adventure about you." She shook her head at the group.

"Wait," Arya peaked her head above the table. "Just a little tongue? We almost had sex."

Robb choked on his beer and Jon whipped his head to look at Ned.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ygritted jumped up. "Details."

"No, we didn't," Ned denied.

"Yes, we did." Arya got up and swayed on her feet ever so slightly. "I asked you to kiss me because this random guy tried to kiss me and I rather it have been with a friend than some guy I didn't like."

"That didn't happen, Arya," Ned said in an upset tone.

"It did," she gasped. "I was lying in my bed and you were leaning over me and I asked you to kiss me," Arya explained. "And we were having some type of disagreement, and then you gave me some bullshit kiss before we started making out—you know, like really going at it." Ned was silent. "I can believe you don't remember. Ned, we had taken off each other's shirts and I was on top of you pulling off your shorts when you put a stop to it. Then you mumbled something about me being fifteen."

Ned got up and began to walk out the room.

"What is your problem, Ned," Arya yelled at her boyfriend.

"That wasn't me," he yelled back.

"Yes, it was," she responded in outrage.

"No, it wasn't". Ned walked over to Arya and stood in front of her. His eyes were watery. "That couldn't have been me because when you were fifteen, you were at Wholistic Core."

Arya dropped her bottle of Vodka. Not Ned. Gendry. Fuck.

"All of this time, I thought that I was your first kiss," Ned said quietly.

"It's not that big of a deal, Ned, it was just a kiss," she dismissed.

Ned looked at her as if he was slapped. "Just a kiss—you almost had sex with the guy for Gods sake."

"Almost," she emphasized. "But, I didn't. I had sex with you first."

"Only because HE put a stop to it," Ned yelled. "You would have had sex with him if he didn't."

Arya didn't deny it.

"Ned, I don't see why you are upset; this happened before we even started dating," she explained.

"You don't see why," he repeated. "I thought that I was your first kiss. The first guy you were ever interested in and it turns out that there was another guy you never mentioned."

"Ned, he was just a friend," she weakly explained. "It was just a kiss that got out of hand."

"Please, Arya," Ned began. "If you weren't the least bit interested in that guy, you wouldn't have asked him to kiss you whether or not you realize it."

That's not true," she immediately contradicted.

"Okay, if it had been me or Mycah, would you have asked," Ned questioned.

Arya became flustered. "No, it was different."

"How so," he perched his lips.

"He was my best friend," she muttered.

"I thought Mycah and I were you best friends," Ned corrected.

"The both of you are, but—" Ned finished Arya's statement.

"It's different." Her boyfriend couldn't look at her.

"Yeah," she finished softly. "Ned."

"Look Arya, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Okay."

They left the topic alone and by late December, Arya wasn't sure if she still wanted to be with Ned. She cared deeply for him, but it seemed as if she was holding on to a relationship that had already ran its course. Everything she did with him was out of habit and being with him was comfortable, safe, and predictable, but not challenging. He seemed like a friend.

By mid January, they had broke up.

Arya began to frequent the House of Black and White to escape Ned. She saw him everywhere. Ned wouldn't show up at this particular coffee shop because he said that it was too artsy for him after they visited a few times.

"Where's your boyfriend," a handsome blond waiter asked. Arya had seen him in the coffee shop before and found him attractive, but they never spoke. She had been with never and wasn't interested in him. "I haven't seen him these past few weeks.

"We broke up," she volunteered.

"What a shame," he shook his head. His blue piercing eyes bore into her. "A man does not let go of a woman like you."

"A man did not let me go," Arya mocked. "I let him go."

The waiter grinned at her before giving Arya a once over. He slowly licked his lips. "A man does not let go of a woman like you."

After a few more visits, she finally learned his name.

"Jaqen H'ghar," he sat down two cups of coffee, and then reached a hand out for Arya to shake.

Arya looked at his hand for a moment before shaking it. "Arya Stark."

Jaqen firmly held her hand before placing a kiss of the back of it. Arya's stomach fluttered. His blue eyes bore into her again as Arya examined the waiter. In addition to his hypnotizing eyes, his hair was less that an inch long with full lips and some facial hair.

"Nice to meet you," he said after letting her hand go.

"Nice to meet you to," she smiled faintly.

During every visit, Jaqen would show Arya either a painting of his or read her one of the poems he wrote. After a while, Jaqen decided that it was time for him to teach Arya get in touch with her inner artist. They spent their time painting, writing poetry, and molding clay.

On this particular day, they were painting, but it wasn't your usual brushing a paintbrush against a canvas type thing. Jaqen had filled balloons with paint and attached them to the wall. He and Arya were throwing darts at them.

"And how is this art," Arya asked as she burst a balloon.

"It's about liberating yourself, lovely girl," he spoke softly. "We lived in such a caged society that we need to break out every once in a while."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes as she continued to throw darts at the balloons.

After they were finished, Arya wet a face cloth, so she could wipe the paint from her face. As she wiped, Jaqen walked over and took the towel out of her hand and slowly, but thoroughly cleaned her face. The air became sexually charged and Arya didn't know that wiping paint from someone's face could be so erotic.

It was no surprise when Jaqen's lips touched her face. Sensually, he placed kisses all of her face and neck, but never touched her mouth. Kisses were placed on each eyelid, her ears, under her ears, her chin, her nose, across her forehead, and then he moved to her collarbone.

With ease, he slid her pants and underwear off, and then taught Arya the true meaning of eating out.

The cold counter cooled Arya's back as she spread her legs wider and encourage Jaqen to continue to pleasure her with his mouth. A series of unintelligible moans exited her mouth as she tried to contain her pleasure.

After Arya came down from her high, Jaqen helped her off of the table, and then placed a kiss on her mouth.

"Pretty woman, " he began before kissing her hand. "Would you allow me the honor to make love to you?"

"Make love," Arya said taken aback.

"Yes," he repeated to assure she did not hear him wrong. "I believe that every woman you lie with you should make love to. Love is an art. And art is must be enjoyed at its highest pleasure. Sex is for amateurs. Love is for artists."

"I don't know," Arya said in an unsure tone.

Jaqen gently grabbed her from behind and let a hand slide down her thigh. His fingers stroke her expertly as Arya knees buckled. She tried to fuck herself on his hand to which Jaqen laughed at.

"I'm going to teach you how to make love like an artist," he whispered in her ear. "Okay?"

"Okay," she repeated as Jaqen bent her over the counter. He left for a moment before she heard the noise of a condom wrapper opening, and then he entered into heart a painstakingly slow pace. After Arya got used to him, Jaqen began to pick up pace and it was in that moment she could not ask for a better teacher.

In May, Arya watched as Jaqen walked around his room butt naked as he spoke on the phone. He was making arrangements for a showing of his work. Arya took a cigarette off of the nightstand and lit it as she watched him.

They had been lovers since the end of February and Arya found that she very much enjoyed this arrangement. There wasn't any expectation of commitment, so there wasn't any jealousy. Arya and Jaqen respected each other's need for independence and never asked for anything more than a little companionship and intense lovemaking.

Arya played with the zippo lighter in her hands as she stared at her lover's ass. She could still see the bite mark from last night. Jaqen was very firm, but soft and gentle.

Suddenly, Jaqen sat on the bed and pulled a cigarette off of the nightstand. He held it between his fingers as he spoke. "No, Marquis, that will not be satisfactory. I asked for one simple thing. Is that so hard?"

Jaqen placed the cigarette in his mouth and Arya lit it for him. She rested her hand on his thigh as he spoke.

"I don't ask for too much," he said into the receiver. "I just ask of one thing and I expect you to make it happen."

After finishing his cigarette, Jaqen crushed it in the ashtray and began to place kisses beneath Arya's breast and down to her navel.

Without a second thought, he hung up on the person, and then abruptly pulled Arya on her back. Out of habit, she opened her legs to him.

A quick peck was placed on her mouth.

"I've had many lovers, but the passion inside you is unparalleled," he remarked.

For the next nine months, Jaqen indulged in every facet of Arya's sexual curiosity. He would push her to the edges of her sexual pleasure until she hanging on for mercy. Coital bliss was endless and Arya's sexual education was enriched.

"My parents would flip if they knew that I had a lover—an older one at that," Arya said into the pillow.

"Why is that," Jaqen rested a hand on her hip to get her attention.

"You're 35 and I am 20," she laughed. "They would think you were taking advantage of me."

Jaqen shook his head. "A man does not advantage of Arya Stark—she takes advantage of them."

Arya gave him a cheeky, lazy grin. "A man should tell my parents that."

In late February, they mutually decided to stop being lovers. They had learned all they needed to learn from one another.

Arya had no intentions on getting into another relationship of any sort when she found herself on an accidental date with Aegon Targaryen.

To get away from Braavos for a while, Arya had visited Dragonstone for a change of scenery for the weekend. She had decided to eat at a popular restaurant called 'The Mad King' when a breathtakingly good-looking man sat next to her. He had silver hair and violet eyes.

As she was about to order, he spoke.

"You should get the dragon stake, it's to die for," he suggested.

"And why is that?" Arya raised an eyebrow.

It's the best thing in here," he stated. "Everything is delicious, but the Dragon stake…is a huge slab of meat with all kinds of spices and it is so tender and hot. You should try it with Dragon's Blood."

"Let me guess," Arya said. "Is that red wine?"

The man widely grinned at her and nodded his head to indicate that she was correct.

"So, do you just go around making menu suggestions or is there a reason you are sitting next to me," Arya asked.

A faint blush appeared on the man's cheeks. "Apparently I have been stood up," he said. "So, I came to the bar to order a meal, and then leave."

Instead, they ended up talking until closing hours. The silver haired man introduced himself as Aegon Targaryen and they exchanged numbers so they could meet up again. Arya learned that twenty-seven and that he came from old money just like her in addition to being a practicing lawyer.

They would meet up a couple times every few months before Aegon suggested that they made their relationship official. Arya's family took an immediate liking to Aegon. He was a charming man who was well read and vastly intelligent. Aegon spoke multiple languages and was well cultured. As much as the Starks like Ned, Aegon was several leagues above him.

Aegon was hilarious and adored Arya like hell. Every need he fulfilled and every desire he explored. His woman would never be found wanting.

When she was twenty-three, he proposed.

As fulfilling as the relationship was, Arya wasn't sure if she was ready for marriage. There relationship was fine as it was, right? Aegon wanted to get married and said that they could wait a few years before having kids, but Arya wasn't sure what she wanted. She said yes, but she wasn't sure if all her second-guessing about her impending nuptials was a good or bad thing. Their families and friends congratulated them, but Arya found it hard to be happy about her engagement. Was something wrong with her?

While Arya tried on wedding dresses, she panicked and wouldn't let herself out of the dressing room.

Arya explained to Aegon that she was overwhelmed and needed some time to herself. It was all too much and happening too fast. She said that they needed to slow down and get in touch with who they used to be. It wasn't about finding themselves, but making sure that they weren't rushing into marriage. So, they went on a break.

Three o'clock in the morning, Arya found herself sneaking out of the apartment of a man whose name she didn't even know.

She never felt freer in her life.

When Arya explained that she couldn't marry him—that they needed to go their own separate ways, Aegon didn't look at her. A few days later as Arya packed her things out of their apartment, Aegon fought for her. He said that they were meant to be and that she was just scared. But, Arya shook her head and said no. She didn't know what she was looking for, but this—whatever it was, wasn't it. Heartbreak was scattered all of his face as she walked out of their apartment.

Arya moved back in with her parents. They let her stay in the guesthouse so she wouldn't feel like she was living with them.

'That's love,' Arya thought as she finished her fourth slice of pizza, and the washed it down with beer. It's messy and ends in heartbreak. If her love life had been a Hollywood movie, it would have on the highest notes. With Ned, it would have ended with them going on a date for the first time to show that the guy got the girl after all of this time. With Jaqen, they would write it so the two lovers would fall in love and couldn't be parted from each other. And with Aegon, Arya would have changed her mind and ran back to him because she really was scared, but wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

But, where would it have ended with Gendry?

It would have been a long, emotional hug with him getting in his taxi and Arya sitting in the same position upset. Later on that night, Gendry would have come back and said something cheesy like 'their love could conquer all odds' or some shit.

But, life is not a Hollywood love stories with movie script endings.

"Hey, Arya," a male voice called to her.

"Yeah, Captain Lucas," she answer as she walked over to him.

Captain Lucas handed file with a sheet of paper on the outside.

"Can you follow up with this witness?" He asked.

"Sure, no problem," she responded, and then walked away and grabbed her jacket.

Arya arrived to the place in a timely manner and waited at the front desk for someone to come help her. She tapped on the bell a few times before calling out:

"Hello."

"Can I help you, officer?" A Latino man walked through a door that was behind the desk and appeared in front of her,

"Hello," Arya greeted. "I'm Officer Stark." Quickly, she pointed to her badge. "I just have a few questions to ask Justin Franklin."

The man seemed to think for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know where he is, but I can ask someone for you," he offered. "You can follow me if you like—it'll be quicker that way."

Arya followed the man through the garage and Arya's jaw dropped at the man before her. It couldn't be. Could it? Arya wondered how long had he lived in Winterfell.

Before her guide could tip his co-worker off to her presence, Arya acted. She pulled the handcuffs out of its strap and stealthily approached her subject as he faced away from her.

Without hesitation, she pushed him against the wall, rapidly cuffed him, and said, "Gendry Waters, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you," Arya recited as she pushed the suspect up against the wall, and then yanked his arms behind his back so she could handcuff him."

Arya began to pat him down as Gendry tried to turn away from the wall.

"Hey!" She yelled. "Who told you to stop looking at the wall?"

" Officer," Gendry said. "You must be mistaken. I've never broke a law in my life," he explained. "There had to be some way we can sort this out."

"Didn't I tell you that you have the right to remain silent?" She said as she pushed him against the wall.

"Yes, but—"

"But, nothing," she interrupted as she continued to pat him up and down, and then squeezed his ass.

"Are you sexually harassing me," he questioned in disbelief. "Can I have your name, officer?"

"Why? So, you can report me," she asked. "They aren't going to believe you anyways. Name is Officer Stark—Officer Arya Stark."

Gendry turned around. "You gotta be shitting me," he laughed. "Let me out of these cuffs, you twerp."

"Hey, now, " Arya teasingly warned. "You are talking to an officer of the law."

She uncuffed Gendry and he picked her up and his arms and gave her a huge bear hug.

"Gendry," she laughed. "You are going to break me in half if you don't loosen your grip."

"My bad," he said as he smiled at his old friend. "It's just—it's been so long."

"I know," she agreed as she slightly pushed him.

"And you're a cop like you said you would be. That's great," he congratulated.

"Thank you." Arya looked at Gendry and saw that he was covered in grease. "And you became the mechanic you always wanted to be."

"Well, that wasn't hard." He shrugged. "I was already working on cars when I got to Wholistic Core. I just needed to be licensed, was all." Gendry looked at her uniform again. "So, what was it that you stopped by for?"

Arya stared at him blankly for a second. "Oh…I needed to ask Justin Franklin some questions is all. I can come back another time," she waved off.

"Okay, I let him know," Gendry said.

Arya reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. "You should give me a call sometime, so we can catch up," she said as she smiled at him. "My cell number is on here—you can reach me anytime."

"Anytime?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Anytime," she repeated before leaving.

Her smile didn't leave her face for a whole week.

Arya and Gendry met up a few days later for beer.

"You're fifteen minutes late, Gendry," Arya said as she tapped her watch.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized as he reached down to give her a hug. "But, I didn't think you would mind too much."

"Oh, why is that," Arya leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

Gendry gestured for someone to come over and Arya turned her head and saw hot Pie walking towards their table.

"Hot Pie," Arya said as she hugged her old friend.

"Hey, Arya," Hot Pie smiled at her.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way," she began. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I live here," he stated. "Gendry and I are roommates and when he told me that he ran into you, we'd thought we would surprise you."

"This was a good surprise," Arya looped one arm onto both of the men's arms and walked back to their table.

Gendry explained that he had only stayed at Wholistic Core for two years before leaving. He enjoyed his time there, but that it was time to move on. He did all of the necessary things he needed to get his license and worked at King's Landing for a few years before deciding he to move. It had gotten too expensive to live in King's Landing. As he was doing his search, he found that Winterfell had a better standard of living and cost was way cheaper in comparison.

He and Hot Pie had ran into each other by accident and had started talking when Hot Pie mentioned that he was thinking of moving and needed a roommate. They had been living in Winterfell for two and a half years.

The next time they met up, it was just she and Gendry. They were watching crappy B movies and drinking drunk on cheap liquor. Sometime during the night, they went from watching the movie to making out on the couch.

Arya fell asleep on him.

They didn't remember what happened the next day

Gendry lay across the width of his bed as he looked at the ceiling. Arya had been to his place a thousand times by now. She lay next to him, but her eyes were closed instead.

"Are you off tonight," he asked. "Like you aren't on stand by or anything?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Good," he replied. Gendry started rambling on about philosophical ideas as Arya got off of the bed. She walked around to the other side and looked into the mirror, and then Gendry. She wanted him—much more than she did when she was fifteen and just discovering her sexual desires.

Arya unhooked her holster and radio and sat it on Gendry's dresser. She then took off her shoes before unbuttoning her shirt. Lastly, she let her pants slide down her legs. Arya just wore her hat, shirt, bra, and panties.

Gendry was still rambling. He hadn't noticed her state of undress.

Unhurriedly, she crawled on the bed near Gendry's head and it took him a moment to notice that she was wearing fewer clothes than before.

"Arya—" Arya cut off Gendry as she swung one of her legs over his body, so she could straddle him.

"Nine years, Gendry, nine years," she said before kissing him passionately. Gendry responded to her kiss and put his hands on her waist. "I'm tired of waiting."

Gendry slipped Arya's police shirt off her shoulders and left moist kisses her collarbone. Arya moaned at his touch. Gently, she pushed him away as she reached for the bottom of his shirt and Gendry helped her take it off. Arya's hat fell off her head and onto the floor as she planted kisses all over Gendry's torso.

Their mouths met in frenzy while Arya undid his pants with one hand.

She pulled his pants to his knees, and then asked him where his condoms were. Gendry reached and got it for her and let her roll the condom onto his dick. In haste, Arya pulled off her panties and sank onto his cock with unrestrained fervency.

Their moans filled the air as Arya began to rock her hips.

Gendry's eyes closed in intense pleasure as he felt repeatedly felt Arya's warmth sheath him cock. She was in control—as always.

They looked at each other.

Finally.


	6. Possibly, Maybe

The bathwater was steaming hot as the two sat in the tub and relaxed. Arya lathered a towel with soap and thoroughly scrubbed Gendry's chest. As Arya washed him, her fingers accidentally grazed against his skin and Gendry chuckled in response, and then settled comfortably against her chest while she bathed him. With meticulous precision, Arya then cleaned Gendry's hands. One by one, each finger was paid special attention before she moved to the next digit. Extreme concentration radiated from Arya's line of vision as she focused on the task in front of her.

Gendry closed his eyes in relaxation as he let Arya do her work. His head lolled on her chest as he melted into her touch. They were soaking in aromatherapy and his muscles became less and less tense as the seconds passed. He had needed this. For weeks, Gendry's body ached all over and he needed to decompress.

To get some extra money, Gendry had been helping out a buddy of his pack and move out homes and businesses. The work hadn't been that hard, or so he thought. Over time, the stress from all of the heavy lifting eventually began to bother him. It wasn't the lifting that had agitated Gendry per se, but rather the fact that he had been improperly lifting the objects. He had no idea that he was supposed to lift with his knees and not his back.

After Arya was finished with his fingers, she then began to clean his arms. As if it weighed nothing, she lifted one of Gendry's arms in the air and wiped it down until she was satisfied that it was clean enough to her liking. When she moved to the next arm, she repeated the same actions as before. Her attention was then moved to his back after she finished with his arms. Rather than simply wash it, Arya also massaged his back as well. Gendry groaned in appreciation as Arya concentrated on loosening his muscles. Expert fingers dug into his tender muscles until they had slackened and became supple.

Firm hands pressed up Gendry's back, and then delicately encircled his neck before Arya's fingers fell to his shoulders. The pressure of her rub increased and Gendry was caught between pain and pleasure at her ministrations.

Arya kissed him on the forehead, and then on the ear and Gendry leaned into the touch of her lips.

"I had no idea you were this affectionate," Gendry teased. "Or am I just special."

Arya rolled her eyes, and then picked up a towel, dipped in the water, and wrung it out over his head.

"No, you're just stupid," she said warmly.

"I guess that means really I'm special," he boasted confidently as the water ran down his face, which earned him a pinch in the side.

Gendry gazed at her, and then settled against her chest again as she leaned back on the wall of the tub. They sat in silence as Arya unnecessarily wiped Gendry's face with the towel.

The experience was a unique one for Arya. This was not the first time she had shared a tub with a man, but this was her first time actually bathing another person. The act had a certain intimate feel about it as she touched Gendry in a non-sexual manner. They were naked and their skin was touching, but she wasn't trying to have sex. Arya was content with how they were: touching, but not fucking.

A grin played on her lips as she lathered the towel up again, and then let the cloth gradually descend down Gendry's body as Arya directed it to its destination: his cock. He moaned and thrust his hips up ever so slightly as Arya cleaned his genitals. Chapped lips grazed her chin and Arya hid a smile while she finished. Gendry pecked his way up to her lips before sliding a tongue in her mouth and pulling her closer. In response, Arya grabbed his shoulder to pull him closer as well, and then sucked on his bottom lip.

"You're evil," Gendry commented after he broke away, and then took the towel from her and cleaned his legs.

Arya grinned at his accusation.

"And so what if I am," she countered. Briefly, she ran her fingers though his hair while he scrubbed his legs. For a moment, Gendry stopped what he was doing and looked at her, and then shook his head before he finished wiping his legs down.

"Come on, Cruella," Gendry gestured for them to switch positions. Arya obliged and got up to get in front of Gendry as he simultaneously slid behind her, so his back was against the wall.

With strong hands, Gendry massaged her shoulder and Arya purred in approval. She had no idea that her body was so tense until Gendry began to work on her muscles. In tranquil quietness, he massaged Arya and her body started to loosen up for him.

Without looking, Arya reached over the edge of the tub and felt around for her watch. After checking the time, she leaned back onto Gendry's chest and sighed as he squeezed her breasts.

"When are you leaving?"

"Now," she replied as she slowly stood up.

Arya stepped out of the tub and picked up a towel from the floor to dry herself. She looked back and saw that Gendry's head disappear under the water before reappearing again.

"I'll call you later." As Arya was leaving the room, Gendry tugged on her towel, and then looked up at her. "What?"

Gendry smirked, and then raised an eyebrow as his arm hung over the tub. Arya was about to reiterate that she needed to leave for work the next day when she realized what he wanted. She leaned down to place a quick kiss on his mouth and Gendry gripped the top of her towel to hold her in place and deepen the kiss.

While Arya drove home her fingers lingered on her lips in a sense of wonder.

The next day, with a smile plastered on her face, Arya walked into the office after her lunch break.

"How was lunch with the boyfriend," Francisco inquired.

Even though Arya knew he was teasing her, she still reminded him, "Gendry is not my boyfriend."

"Sure, he isn't," he said sarcastically before giving her an exaggerated wink.

Arya's phone vibrated in her pocket and she took the device out and checked it. Gendry. Quickly, she responded to him, and then put her phone away.

Francisco laughed.

"You know, you have two different facial expressions, " her co worker began. "One for Gendry and one for everyone else."

Arya looked down to hide the blush that was slowly creeping upon her face. "No I don't."

"Yes, you do." Francisco rested his elbows on his desk as he hands held his head up. "He clearly makes you happy, so what's the issue?"

Concerning her relationship status with Gendry or, lack thereof, there wasn't an issue. A while back, Gendry had stated that he was interested in being with her; it was her reluctance to enter into another relationship that interfered with a potential relationship. When Arya explained her hesitance to get into an exclusive relationship, Gendry didn't agree, but he understood her reasons and respected her need to remain single. Commitment had never been a problem for her, despite her desire to be single. Arya had dated Ned for two years and was with Aegon for fours before getting engaged.

It was the expectations of others that dissuaded her from entering into something serious again. For the life of her, Arya couldn't understand why people wanted her to be someone she wasn't or to have desires that weren't her own. At the same time, she wasn't sure what she wanted, but it wasn't whatever they were trying to force her to be. Their expectations added unnecessary pressure to her relationship and, perhaps, Arya shouldn't have been so concerned with the opinions of others regarding her dating life, but she often wondered did her boyfriends want what others had voiced? As enjoyable as her relationships had been, neither Ned nor Aegon were guys she could imagine spending the rest of her life with and it was no fault of their own. She had loved the both of them, but she feared that the two of them loved her way more than she ever loved them.

There were couples where one person doesn't love their partner as much as their partner loves them, but they want to. Sometimes, there is an imbalance of affection or devotion, but it isn't because the love isn't there—it just is. With Arya, she believed that the love was there, but not in the same way. She had loved Ned, but she had never been in love with him. He had loved her way before she was interested and long after she left; there was never any long-term future for them like the plans he had in mind. For a fact, Arya knew that she had been in love with Aegon and it was none of that cliché bullshit like bad timing. The timing had been right for them, but she had gotten everything she could out of that relationship. Aegon played his part in her life and it was time for her to move on. Of course, a part of her will always love and care for him, but not enough to want to stay in the relationship or rekindle it.

"Expectations," Arya offered. "I just want to enjoy something without people expecting anything more out of it than what is advertised. That ruins the fun."

Francisco looked at Arya as if he were examining her, and then nodded his head after a beat. "Well…while you are having fun, don't assume that he is having fun as well; sooner or later he may want something more…concrete. Don't enjoy yourself too much to a point where you let another woman present herself as a viable alternative."

Arya gave him a hard stare. "You don't me and you don't know Gendry, so keep your opinions to yourself."

The man smirked at her. "I know enough," he provided as he shrugged. "I don't need to know all that complicated shit because it's all the same when you boil it down. Every relationship is made of the same basic ingredients. It's how you mix them that determines success or failure." Francisco leaned back in his chair. "That advice you just gave me you should take for yourself. All other people's expectations are is just their opinions and beliefs on your relationship—it has nothing to do with what happens between you and whomever you choose to date. How can you easily dismiss what I say, but invest in their words because you know them? You aren't dating them and they don't clearly don't know you that well if they expect things of you that you have no interest in."

"Why do you care so much," Arya's expression softened as she crossed her arms.

"I don't," he answered. "You're not in a relationship for me to care for, but you shouldn't place so much value on others people's expectations and opinions if want they want is a clear contradiction to who you are as a person. If you want to have fun, then have fun, but don't let anyone else's opinion about what you are doing interfere with what you want. At the end of the day, you are the one in that relationship, not them."

The conversation was still stuck in Arya's head a week later. As she walked to the hotel room door, she replayed every word that was said. Lightly, she knocked as she waited for someone to answer.

All of Arya's life, she never cared what others thought of her. Well, a piece of her did, but she never took too much stock in their words because she knew who she was and she wasn't going to change herself to please others. So, why did she think so highly or their opinions now? Did she want people to approve of her choices? Did she want to be judged for having interests, opinions, and behaviors different from those around her?

"Arya!" Ygritte threw her hands up as if to signal a touchdown when she saw Arya on the other side of the door. Quickly, she took a gulp of her beer, and then dragged her fiancée's little sister threw the door. "We were wondering when you were going to show up."

"I'm only twenty minutes late," Arya took a beer out of the cooler and picked up a bottle opener to pop off the cap.

"If you aren't early, you're late," Ygritte plopped on the couch and patted for Arya to sit next to her. In response, Arya rolled her eyes and sat next to the bride to be.

Jon and Ygritte had been breaking up and making up for years. It was apparent that there were in love with one another, but their different personalities caused them to clash at times and made it hard for them to be together. From the very beginning, it had been obvious that Ygritte was invested in the relationship, but Jon wasn't sure as to how he should handle a serious commitment. He seemed to be more in a relationship with the army than he was with Ygritte. They would have a good time together every once in a while, but he was never truly committed to her. In a fit of fury, Ygritte had given him the ultimatum: be more involved in their relationship or she was leaving.

She had left.

After their first break up, they never seem to be able to stay together longer than a few months. It was always a new issue. Ygritte was too wild, Jon was too serious, they were too far apart geographically, and so on. The longest they had ever been apart was when Jon got into a serious relationship with another woman, which resulted in an engagement. It took some maturing and deep soul searching for the two to finally find their way back to one another and put an honest effort into their relationship.

The girls consumed copious amounts of alcohol and threw money at the male strippers.

"Woo, take it off," Ygritte yelled before barking at the stripper. Arya and Sansa made faces at her before breaking out in laughter. The bride to be shrugged, "What? I have to get it out of my system, right?"

A dark haired stripper with ripped abs danced in front of Arya as she tucked a few singles in the band of his underwear. He began to provocatively roll his hips in her direction as Arya watched appreciatively.

In the corner, Sansa innocently danced with the third stripper. She was trying to break loose and have fun, but it felt wrong to be in this type of environment. The only reason Sansa has came was because her sister and friends really wanted her to be there.

After the strippers left, the women played some games and chatted for a few hours. Most of the women had left, besides Ygritte, only Sansa, Arya, Jeyne, and Margaery remained. They went to the downstairs casino because the party wasn't over, despite the strippers and most of the women leaving.

Sansa wasn't having any luck and decided to stop, so she wouldn't lose any more money. Margaery was doing fairly well, but her hand wasn't as hot as she would have liked. Jeyne stuck to the slots and stopped gambling once her money ran out. She had made a little profit during her time at the machines. Ygritte would win large sums of money, bet it all, lose it, and then wash, rinse, and repeat.

Unlike the rest of the girls, Arya was having better luck. From time to time, she gambled with her co-workers and was great at determining when she should and shouldn't play her hand. It was all a numbers game. You had to learn when to fold, bet it all, take a step back, and lose a little money in order to really make money. Arya supposed that life was the same. You can't expect a profit in something you don't invest in.

"Uh, I hate you," Ygritte said as she stared at the younger woman's chip stacks. A chuckle escaped Arya's mouth as she lit her cigar and inhaled deeply.

"I'm flattered by your jealousy," Arya said before blowing out smoke rings.

Ygritte pouted. "This isn't fun anymore; let's go."

"It's your party." Arya collected her chips and went to go cash them before joining the other girls.

The party of five ended up at a pancake house. Both Arya and Ygritte stuffed their faces as the other girls watched with a mixture of disgust and intrigue. In less than five seconds, Ygritte gulped down her orange juice and ordered another one.

"Can you bring back another cup of coffee as well," Arya added before chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Honestly, I never thought I would marry Jon," Ygritte admitted To Arya. "Well, I haven't yet, but I didn't think he would propose. You know, Jon and I had been together longer than Robb and Jeyne when they got married, but Jon was never sure or it was always 'too much was going on'. Then he got engaged to you know who after we broke up for the hundredth time." The redhead had rolled her eyes as she thought back to Jon's former fiancée. She stuffed some eggs in her mouth and chewed as she spoke, "When we got back together, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, I know Jon said he was serious this time around and knew what he wanted, but we had broken up so many times that I just thought I was the familiar route. For a while, I had been jealous of you."

Arya looked at her soon to be sister in law and laughed. "Why?"

The waitress arrived and gave Ygritte and Arya their drinks.

"Why?" Ygritte stared incredulous at Arya. "You had this hot, insanely intelligent guy who was crazy about you and wanted to marry you. He accept you for who you were—loved it even." After some thought, she added, "Jon has always loved me for who I was, but he has learned to stop caring what other people thought and let me be who I am without worrying about how people feel. Or what society thinks. Aegon never cared."

"Well, as you can see, we didn't get married," Arya stated nonchalantly. "You should have been jealous of Sansa. Her and Willas actually got married."

"The simple act of being engaged wasn't what made me jealous," she explained. "It was the fact that you were a wild child like me in many ways. You know what it is like to be misunderstood and did whatever you wanted and Aegon loved it all. I thought that if someone could embrace and love your flaws, then surely someone could do the same with me. I knew Jon was the one, but he was just so damn stubborn." Ygritte began to tear up and wiped her eyes and said exaggeratedly, "Look at me being an overly emotional woman."

Sansa extended her hand and grabbed Ygritte's forearm.

"Hey, stop crying," she said softly with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "This is your last night of being a bachelorette…enjoy it."

Ygritte smiled back. "I am. Strippers, naughty games, poker, and food—a girl couldn't ask for more." The women laughed. "I always thought that my bachelorette party would be raunchier than this. What exactly did I have planned—no clue, but I just wanted it to be unforgettable. But, I had the most AMAZING bachelorette party planned for Arya before she had called off the wedding," Ygritte shook her head at the lost opportunity.

"I bet you did," Arya grinned.

"So, why did you call the wedding off?" The other three women groaned at Ygritte's question. "What?"

Margaery looked at Arya then Ygritte. "Arya doesn't even know why she called the wedding off. Every time we ask her it's always some bullshit answer."

Arya threw a cut up piece of pancake at Margaery.

"Hey!"

"You know it's true, Arya," Jeyne added. "'Not this' is not a good answer as to why you couldn't marry Aegon."

Sansa raised her hand in order to silence the women. "Yes, 'not this' is a vague answer, but Arya clearly wasn't ready for marriage. She looked very stressed when they got engaged and, if you ask me, she's looked happier than she's ever been since they split."

Jeyne nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you do have a glow about you that was missing while you were engaged."

"Was it that same glow that was missing while she was with Ned," Ygritte proposed with a glint in her eyes before sipping her juice.

Arya glared at Ygritte.

"What?" She laughed, and then leaned her head back against the seat cushion. Her eyes drifted shut as she spoke. "Ned was such a nice guy and he was so sweet. I remember how I used to think that you two had such a solid relationship, and then the night of the Halloween party made me reconsider."

Margaery raised an eyebrow. "What Halloween party?"

"It was that Halloween you got sick with the stomach virus," Sansa reminded and the girl made at face at the memory.

"Let's not go down that road by re-living the memory," Margaery stared at her food strangely before pushing it away. "So what happened?"

Sansa turned to her friend. "I never told you?"

"No," Margaery replied. "You never told me about the Halloween party."

"You are kidding," Sansa said in disbelief.

"No," Ygritte said excitedly. "I have to tell this story." There was a moment of quiet so Ygritte could gather herself. "So, Jon and I threw this INCREDIBLE Halloween party and after it was over, we had a small after party. It was Jon and I, Robb, Jeyne, Sansa, Willas, Arya, and Ned."

Arya groaned and sat her head in her hands.

"We were playing cards and asking about everyone's first kiss," Margaery looked intrigued as she glanced over to Arya to in curiosity. "And everyone was talking about their boring first kisses and Arya was laying on the floor drinking out of a Vodka bottle So, Ned tells us that he and Arya had their first kiss together and it was a little tongue. Now, no one at the time knew that Arya was drunk off her ass." Arya looked as if she was going to dispute Ygritte's claim, but thought better of it. Why deny the truth? She had been drunk off her ass. "She gets up and it like 'Wait! Just a little tongue? We almost had sex.'"

Margaery gasped and looked at Arya. "Arya! You almost had sex during your first kiss," she aid in a scandalous tone.

"Hold on, it gets better—or worse," Ygritte grinned. "Ned denies this and they go back and forth. Arya says that almost had sex and Ned says they didn't. So, Arya says that she asked him to kiss her because they were friends or some bullshit like that and how they were taking each other clothes off and shit and that she was fifteen."

"But, wasn't she at that camp?" Margaery looked confused.

Ygritte snapped, and then and pointed at her, "Exactly! Arya's first kiss was with another guy who she almost had sex with. Arya was SO drunk off her ass that she mixed up the two and Ned got upset."

Margaery exaggeratedly gasped, "Arya!" She hit the woman on her arm. "You naughty girl." Arya rolled her eyes and stuffed more food into her mouth.

"Poor kid, when I looked in his eyes, I could see the future he had planned for you two," Jeyne said as she thought of Ned.

"I think everyone could," Sansa responded.

"Who was the guy?" Ygritte asked as the other ladies stared at Arya expectantly.

"Just some guy at camp," Arya said in a neutral tone.

A boisterous laugh filled the air as tears streamed from Ygritte's face. She was partially drunk, tired, and had a caffeine buzz going on as well.

"Just some guy," she repeated. "For just some guy, you are awfully secretive about him. And you almost had sex with him. Just some guy my ass."

"We got carried away," Arya shrugged, and then sipped her coffee. "Nothing happened after that," she lied.

There was a sea of contradicting emotions Arya felt about that night and Gendry in general. Without a doubt, Arya adored Gendry—he was her favorite person in the world, but his presence in her life was problematic. If they had been just friends rather pretending what they felt back then was purely platonic, Arya wouldn't have any issues talking about him. But, the line had been crossed way back when and his age had posed a huge problem. Yes, she was older now and legal to do whatever the hell she wanted to, but opening that can of worms started a conversation she didn't want to have. It wouldn't have matter what she said or how she explained it, no one would have believed that Gendry didn't take advantage of her, except Yoren and those at the camp.

Despite the way things had ended when Gendry had left, every other memory Arya had had of him were filled with warm feelings. Her family would taint that. They would make it seem as if Gendry had been a predator and she had been his prey. They would take his one major slip up as him being an untrustworthy guy. Arya cared too much for Gendry to put him in that position.

Arya trusted Ygritte, but not when it came to Jon. She would tell her soon to be husband and the family would find out. Sansa wouldn't understand and would be judgmental, but it would eventually get back to her parents by some unfortunate accident. Jeyne would tell Robb and Margaery would tell Sansa, so Arya told no one. A secret is the safest when only a few people knew it, which were only she and Gendry. Well, the identity was a secret, not the act itself.

Ygritte looked at Arya in suspicion.

"You don't just get carried away," Ygritte contradicted in disbelief. "I mean, if he was 'just' your friend. Now, if you had a thing for him, it's entirely possible."

"Well, he was hot," Arya conceded. "Rugged looks and smoking body—always walked around shirtless. Hell, even the camp therapist had admired his…physique."

Fascinated, Margaery raised an eyebrow. "So, did you ever sleep with this smoking hot guy?"

"I told you—" Margaery cut her off.

"No, I'm not talking about at the camp, but after you left," she explained. "Did you two ever run into each or something and resolve the unfinished business."

Momentarily, Arya contemplated how much information she should give. The ladies didn't know anymore than her and Gendry almost having sex and her vague description of him. She thought 'what the hell' and answered the question.

"Yes," she grinned.

"Ooh," Jeyne leaned forward. "Details."

"NO!"

"So, it must have been recently, like, after you broke up with Aegon," Sansa pieced together.

"That's not necessarily true," Arya denied, and then tried to pick off of Ygritte's plate before having her hand slapped away.

"Yes, it is," Sansa countered. "You were home all summer when you got back and, when you weren't with us, you were with Ned and Mycah. Then you went away to school and spent all of your time with Ned who you dated for two years. After you broke up with him, you went through that period where you didn't want to be bothered with guys. When you got over that, you were with Aegon for four years. Unless, you cheated on Ned or Aegon, I don't see how you could have slept with the mystery guy somewhere in that timeline."

Arya raised her eyebrows, and then grinned. "No, I said that I didn't want to date, not that I didn't want to be bothered with guys," she clarified.

Sansa raised widened her eyes in shock.

"So…" her older sister trailed off.

"So, I had sex with guys that I wasn't in a relationship with," Arya answered. Sansa didn't mind pre-marital sex, but she believed that people should only have sex when they are in a relationship with one another.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The oldest Stark daughter looked to be interested in this new revelation.

"Because you can't hold water," Arya retorted. "I didn't want mom and dad to know that I was having no strings attached sex."

The waitress came by and picked up their plates before being instructed to keep the coffee coming.

"I can keep secrets." Arya laughed at her sister.

"No, you can't," she shot back. "But, I'm being misleading. You're right: I slept with the mystery guy after I broke up with Aegon. I only slept with one person after Ned and before Aegon, but we were lovers for a year."

Ygritte coughed on her food. "No fucking way," she exclaimed, and then raised her hand to high five Arya. "This is what I mean when I say that we are alike. A girl should be able to get a good fuck without always having to be in a relationship. And sometimes stranger sex is the best sex."

Arya slowly moved her head side to side as she weighed Ygritte's statement. "Yeah, sometimes. I had this one night stand after I called of the engagement it and it was the worst sex I ever had in my life," she provided. "The idea of it was freeing because I had felt trapped with Aegon, despite not knowing why, but the sex was atrocious. Even if the guy did want to see me again, I would have not been a repeat customer—hell, I wished I could have gotten a refund. That's how back the fuck was."

"It's really hit or miss," Ygritte laughed.

"It is," Arya sipped her coffee, and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She pulled out two and handed Margaery and Ygritte one each before pulling out her own. The flame from the zippo lighter burned brightly as she lit each cigarette.

Briefly, Margaery examined the cigarette in approval before exhaling, and then looking at Arya. "So, what was M like without the nitty gritty details?"

A while ago, Arya had figured out that Sansa and co lived vicariously through her. Well, not Ygritte because they were birds of the same feather, so she lived through herself. But, Sansa, Jeyne, and Margaery were traditional women who played their roles well. Although Margaery did some 'living' of her own, it was in secrecy. Her family would kill her if they thought she partook in the ways of fast women. Not only that, she was married as well. In a span of 12 years, Margaery had been married three times and divorced twice—all to Baratheon men.

As frustrated as Arya got with her parents, she thanked the Gods that her father never saw her as a business asset to move around as he pleased.

In thought, Arya brought her cigarette to her mouth and inhaled slowly. She tried to bite back a grin as the remembered Gendry's skills in bed. Her grin began to widen at the memories of the pleasure Gendry cultivated within her. As she exhaled, she answered. "Worth the wait." The girls didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.

After they left the pancake house, the women went back to the hotel room and went to sleep. Arya and Sansa shared a bed as well as Ygritte and Margaery and Jeyne slept on the couch.

Over the next few days, Arya schedule had been booked. There had been Jon's wedding and she was the maid of honor, which surprised her when Ygritte first told her. Then, she had to gather notes and write reports to give to a detective for an ongoing trail. This was in addition to working out an open case for a series of thefts in Winterfell. Luckily, she had caught a break in the case and they had arrested the suspect.

Arya just wanted to rest. She wanted to go to Gendry's place and fall asleep in his bed, preferably with him in the bed and going to sleep with her.

Firmly, she knocked on his door and waited for Gendry to answer.

"Hey," Gendry welcomed as he opened his door. Briefly, he took in Arya's appearance. "You look beat."

"Thanks, for noticing," she said exhaustedly, and then gave him a deep kiss. Gendry responded with the same amount of intensity before breaking away and placing a kiss on her lips one more time.

"No problem." He grinned at her, and then kissed her nose as his thumbs gently rubbed her temples. "If you aren't too tired, Hot Pie is making dinner and you know that there is more than enough for you."

Arya didn't need to be told twice.

Hungrily, she dug into her plate as Gendry and Hot Pie spoke about cars. If it was any other day, Arya would've joined them, but she was bone tired and just wanted to fill her belly, and then sleep like the dead. Tomorrow was her day off, so she could sleep in for as long as she wanted. And she would.

Almost as if she was having an orgasm in her mouth, Arya groan at the deliciousness of the food. Hot Pie had cooked baked chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and cornbread. To drink with the meal, there was some expensive wine and for dessert, there was blue berry pie.

Randomly, Hot Pie asked, "How long have you two been fucking?"

Gendry choked on his wine. Frantically, he tried to clear his pipes and went to go get a drink of water. In no time, he gulped down his glass of water and Arya continued to eat her food as if Hot Pie said nothing.

"We're not having sex," he denied, and then filled his cup with more water.

"So, you're dating?" Hot Pie sipped his wine and looked at Gendry expectantly.

"No," he denied adamantly.

"Seven months," Arya answered without looking away from her plate. "We've been fucking for seven months."

"Arya!" Gendry gave his lover an unbelieving look.

"What," she shrugged. "He clearly knows. It doesn't take a genius to piece together that something has been going on between us," she explained. "We always smell like each other; I either smell like your cologne or musk or you smell like my perfume. OR we smell like the same soap. I'm in your room a little too much and often spend a night in there. Hell, sometimes I even wear your clothes. He was bound to figure it out sooner or later."

Hot Pie burst out laughing as tears began to stream down his face. For a minute straight, he wouldn't stop laughing as Gendry stared at his friend like he two heads. Arya stole a piece of Gendry's chicken and finished it before cutting herself a slice of pie.

"What's so funny?" Gendry asked incredulously.

"I was just fucking with you when I asked about you and Arya," Hot Pie admitted as he cackled. Gendry turned stoplight red.

He looked at Arya. "Hot Pie didn't even know about us and you spilled the beans."

"No," Hot Pie inserted. "You spilled the beans. Arya confirmed it without a shadow of a doubt, but your overreaction pretty much said it all."

Arya turned to Gendry and stuck out her tongue.

"So, you didn't suspect anything before then?" Gendry crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen sink.

"Well, sorta," the cook admitted. "I mean, but you two have always been closer than me and you or me and Arya. I figured you two may have fucked once or twice, but not for seven months. Seven Hells," Hot Pie laughed again. "I don't understand the secrecy though since you guys are just fucking."

A loud belch filled the room as Arya fork clanged against the plate and she got up to sit her dishes in the sink. As she walked away from the sink she grabbed Gendry. Over her shoulder she said, "Because we didn't want you to read too much into it and feel like a third wheel."

"Well, thanks for your consideration," he playfully mocked.

As the closed the door behind them, there was a click. Arya stripped down to her bra and underwear, and then helped Gendry out of his clothes. Tenderly, she peppered kisses against his skin as she unbuckled his pants. Gendry tilted her head up and captured her lips with his own. Passionately, she pulled his closer, and then smiled against his mouth. A while ago, Gendry joked that they could fuse together and he would still never be close enough to her liking. Of course, she called him a stupid bull, but now she surmised that he was right.

Even the times when he was inside her and she didn't know where he ended and she began, Arya desired to have him closer.

They fell into bed together as a mess of tangled limbs. Their lips never broke apart while they settled comfortably in the bed. From experience, Gendry knew that this wasn't going to lead to sex. Arya just wanted to be touched before she fell asleep. She just wanted to have him close.

A few minutes later, Arya fell asleep in cradled in Gendry's arms. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and he held her from behind. Contently, Arya snuggled further into her and a light snore fell from her lips.

In the morning, through all of the tossing and turning at night, Arya woke up with her head nestled on Gendry's chest and an arm and leg splayed over his body. Gendry's chin rested on her head and his hand was on her waist as if to keep her in place, which was most likely the case. He had such a small bed that she only reason she fit was because she was small herself.

With affectionate fingers, Arya traced invisible patterns on Gendry's stomach.

"That tickles," Gendry murmured into her hair.

"Does it," Arya matched his tone as she continued her ministrations.

"Yeah," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

As if Gendry didn't say anything, Arya continued to draw patterns on his stomach. She liked this: just her and Gendry lying in the bed on a Saturday morning.

Arya lifted her head off of Gendry's chest and pressed a kiss near his nipple, and then bit hard enough to elicit a hiss, but not enough to harm. Another kiss was pressed near his other nipple before Arya kissed her way up to Gendry's mouth. She then placed a wet smooch on his ear and Gendry grinned against her arm to hold back his laughter. This time, their lips met lazily as Arya's stomach fluttered for an unknown reason.

Their kiss had been tender and languid.

When they broke apart, Arya looked at him and asked, "Who was your first time?"

"Where did that come from?" Gendry chuckled, and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "And it's not like you know her anyways."

Arya rolled her eyes. "I'm curious. It doesn't matter if I know her or not. I just want to know—and I told you about Ned."

"I didn't ask about him though." Arya bit down hard on Gendry's lip and he snorted. "Okay, okay," he relented. "Her name was Danica and she was a quiet girl. We had spent a lot of time together and I liked her—she was smart and funny. And she was cute," he added as an afterthought. "When we had sex, it was clumsy and over it a matter of seconds. It had been a one time thing and neither one of us had looked too much into it. We both knew that our relationship would never amount to anything besides what it already was. It couldn't be."

"Why is that?" Arya's thumb caressed his hairline as she looked at him affectionately.

"Because she was fifteen," Gendry snorted trying to bite back his laughter. In response, Arya muffed him on his forehead.

"You're an ass, you know that," she said as she tried to get up, but Gendry grabbed her and held on tightly. "Gendry!"

Gendry guffawed as he tried to keep Arya in place. "I'm sorry; that was wrong of me." Arya still struggled. "I'm promise I will tell you the real story if you sit still."

For a few moments afterwards, Arya struggled until she tired herself out, and then relaxed in Gendry's arms.

"So," Gendry said loudly as he rubbed Arya's knee. "I had had moved back to King's Landing and had been there for a few months when a couple buddies and I decided to go to this bar called The Red Woman." Gently, he grabbed Arya's hand and held it between his hands. "I was 24 at the time and was just trying to have fun with the guys. As the guys and I are fucking around and getting shit faced, we see this gorgeous woman. Everything about her stood out from all of the other girls. She had bright red hair, was a few years older, a well portioned body—her dress was red too. But, the thing that stood out about her the most was her confidence. She walked as if she owned the place—later, I found out that she did. This woman just looked as if she could have whatever she wanted and you would give it to her just to make her happy."

In intrigue, Arya raised an eyebrow.

"In my mind, I had no chance with her. She was just too beautiful and I didn't have any experience with women besides kissing. Even then I had never really been the initiator," Gendry explained. "I mean, the furthest I had ever got to the point with any girl was with you."

"Really," Arya snuggled closer to Gendry.

"Yeah, really," he confirmed. "I have never been good at talking to girls even as friends." Gendry shrugged. "So, as we are talking, the woman walks over to us:

The five guys behaved rambunctiously as the redheaded woman stood in front of the table. They don't notice her at first.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said in a soft tone as she mysteriously grinned at the group.

"Hello, beautiful," a blond man responded as he reached for her hand and kissed it. The woman firmly pulled her hand from his grip, and then looked around the table before her eyes settled on Gendry.

"Hi," she retorted back to the man as her green eyes connected to blue eyes.

"Hey," the blond man said to get her attention. The redheaded woman kept staring at Gendry. "My name is Xavier, but my friends call me Hawk."

"Nice to meet you, Hawk." Again her eyes never broke contact from Gendry's. She smirked, and then pursed her lips at the dark-haired man. "And what is your name?"

Gendry gulped, and then stuttered, "G-Gendry."

"Gendry," she tried out the name as it rolled off of her tongue. "Hi Gendry, I'm Melisandre, but friends call me Mel."

Mel extended a hand for Gendry to shake and he stared at her hand blankly. The woman let her hand fall to her side and seemed to be flattered by Gendry's response to her.

"Your name sounds pretty," he choked out.

"Why, thank you," Mel looked Gendry up and down, and then reached down and grabbed his hand. "Join me for a drink."

"Okay," Gendry replied as Mel dragged him away.

Gendry and Mel had a few drinks in silence as Mel looked at her male companion as if he was dinner. When she got up, she took a hold of Gendry's shirt and made him follow her. Mel led him to an office, and then pulled keys out of her pocket before opening the door.

"You work here?" Gendry asked after Mel gradually pushed him on the couch. She straddled him soon afterwards before placing a moist kiss on his lips.

"You could say that," she lightly chuckled. "I own the bar."

"Oh, so you're the Red—" Mel's lips crushing against his cut off Gendry.

Mel pulled back abruptly and looked into his eyes. "Stop talking," she warned, and then bit his lip. Gendry complied with orders and he ended up on his back as she took off his shirt and had removed his pants.

When Mel sat on his cock, Gendry gasped.

"You like that?" Mel asked as she moved her hips and Gendry moaned in response.

Later on, as Mel got dress, she asked, "That was your first time, wasn't it?"

Gendry shook his head yes in response. His face was bright red as he looked everywhere except Mel.

A finger softly traced along Gendry's jawline before two fingers were placed under his chin, and then titled his head up to look at her. Mel's eyes had not a trace of mocking or disappointment.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," she declared as she palmed his face and her thumbed caressed the skin just below the hairline. "You may not possess the skill of an experienced man, but your eagerness to please me made it very enjoyable."

Mel sat on Gendry's lap and kissed the younger man deeply as he timidly wrapped his arms around her. They broke away to catch their breaths and Mel looked into his eyes and her lips rubbed against Gendry's as she spoke.

"I want to see you again." Another moist kiss was placed on his lips. "Do you want to see me again?"

"Yeah," Gendry nodded as if he was in a trance.

"Good." Mel grinned as she got up, and then went over to her desk and wrote on a piece of paper. After she was finished, she handed it to Gendry. "I look forward to seeing you soon."

"So, did you call her back," Arya lips moved against Gendry's as she spoke.

"Yeah," he answered plainly. Arya raised her eyebrows as an indication to be more detailed. Gendry softly exhaled as he played in her hair. "We just had sex…I thought I would see her one more time and should would be done with me, but we ended up having sexual relations for four years."

"Did you like her," she inquired.

"Yeah, but not in that way." Gendry seemed to be lost in thought. "Mel was a very…interesting person and she was always so sure of herself. And she was very experienced. It was a real confidence booster that she chose me as her lover."

"Do you think she was interested in you romantically?"

Gendry laughed. "Mel? No," he denied. "Mel had higher aspirations than being in a relationship with a bastard mechanic."

"She owned a bar," Arya stated. "Not to shit on her aspirations, but unless she was trying to open up a chain of bars or something, I don't think she had any right to look down on you."

"Mel didn't look down on," he defended. "And she never made me feel bad about myself—she actually supported me. She owned the bar as a hobby. I mean, she ran the thing pretty damn well, but she was involved in big business. She was the advisor of Stannis Baratheon."

"Really?" Arya rolled over onto her back as she looked at Gendry.

"And his mistress as well," he grinned. "He was the one who gave her money to open the bar. It was her who resurrected Stannis' company from the dead."

"Now, this story has gotten infinitely more interesting," Arya, remarked as Gendry played with her panty line. "You were fucking the mistress of Stannis Baratheon—wow, Gendry, what else haven't you told me?"

Gendry rolled his eyes.

Hours later, Arya left Hot Pie's and Gendry's apartment and went home. Rather than go to the guesthouse, she went to the main house to visit her father.

"Hey, dad." Arya kissed his bearded face before pulling a chair up to sit next to him.

"Hey yourself," Ned said as he sign his name on a document, and then put it in a manila folder before depositing the folder in his desk.

In silence, Arya watched her father work as she sat next to him. Arya cherished the moments where she could be near her father and didn't have to say or do anything, she could just be. Over the years, she was reaching that type of relationship with her mother, but Ned always had a better understanding of his daughter than Catelyn did. One minute Arya would talk to you and the next, she just wanted to be near you.

Ned typed up a few documents, made a couple of calls, and wrote some notes before calling it quits for the day. Arya helped him put some folders away as Ned made sure everything was in order.

"Are you bringing someone to the barbeque next week," Ned asked causally as he turned his swivel chair to face his daughter.

"Uh, yeah," she misunderstood. "I invited Ned and Mycah, but I could ask a few other people if them want to come."

Ned smiled to himself. "No, I mean like a special someone," he clarified. "Your mother has reached the conclusion that you have a secret boyfriend and I can't say that I blame her."

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but there is no 'secret boyfriend'," the young woman made air quotes as she dismissed his inquiry. "I've introduced the family to the two WHOLE boyfriends that I have had. Why would I start keeping them a secret now?"

"I don't know," he supplied. "But, you have a very secretive nature, so it's not like you can fault us. You dated Ned for about four months before casually telling us that you were in a relationship. And after saying that you were dating round, you bring Aegon over for dinner and announce that you two had been dating for five months."

Arya popped some candy in her mouth and stared at her father in rebellious disbelief. "I was just trying to see how the relationship worked out. I don't want to introduce to you every guy I date, and then we break up three days later."

"Is that what you are doing now?" Ned raised an eyebrow and grinned at his daughter.

"No," she shot down. "I'm not dating anyone."

Ned gave his daughter one last look before dropping the subject.

Later on that night, Arya and her siblings decided to go to midnight bowling in downtown Winterfell.

Robb was in the lead, but Arya was a close second while Sansa, Bran, and Rickon moved in and out of third interchangeably. Jon would have been with them, but he was still on his honeymoon.

After Arya bowled a strike, she looked at Robb and shot an invisible arrow at him before sipping her beer. Robb staggered back as if he was shot, and then laughed at his little sister's competitive nature. He knew that the next time they played, that Arya would beat him and it wouldn't be because he let her.

As she watched Bran bowl, Arya pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She recalled her conversation with her father form earlier.

Aloud she asked, "Am I secretive?"

Her siblings said without hesitation, "Yes."

"How?" Arya asked loudly as she looked at her youngest brother.

"How are you now," Rickon laughed as he picked up his ball.

"Is there anything wrong with holding my cards close to my chest," she rhetorically asked, and then puffed on her cigarette again.

"Also known as being secretive," Robb smirked. Arya rolled her eyes, and then glared at her eldest brother.

"Just because I don't broadcast everything about my life does not mean I am secretive. You guys don't need to know my every action," she defended.

Sansa sipped her drink, and then offered her input, "No, you are very secretive, Arya. Gods, you told me a week ago that you had a lover for a year only to prove that I didn't know everything about your love life."

"Whoa," Bran said as he looked at Arya. "You had a lover!"

Arya took another puff, and then exhaled before focusing her eyes on Sansa. "Like I told last week: you can't hold water."

Out of embarrassment, Sansa blushed, and then looked away from Arya as she drank her beer.

"Yes," Arya confirmed. "But, it was years ago. I don't see why the family needs to know that. I don't ask about you guys sex lives and I don't want to know for that matter."

"I guess," Robb conceded. "With you, though, it's like pulling teeth to get you to open up about your love life. We only find out stuff about you if you are trying to prove a point or if you slip up—like that whole first kiss fiasco with Ned."

"What kiss fiasco," Rickon asked in intrigue. Robb was about to tell his brother when Arya loudly groaned.

"Seriously?" She put out her cigarette and got up. "You guys don't talk about that thing for YEARS and all of the sudden, it is a hot topic."

Bran laughed at her. "What's your problem?"

"We asked her about it last week at Ygritte's bachelorette party," Sansa informed, and then caught them up to date with what happened. As she wrapped up her story, she added, "Turns out she slept with him some time after she broke up with Aegon."

"Again, you can't hold water," Arya repeated, and then grabbed the bowling ball. She got a gutter ball and turned to glare at her sister. In order to collect herself, Arya took a deep breath and gathered her emotions, and then rolled the ball down the lane again. Strike.

"Arya, you know what your problem is." Bran dipped his nacho chip in some cheese and meat, and then ate it.

"No, please enlighten me," she mocked.

"You have control issues," her brother informed. "You always have. That's why you are so secretive. You don't want us to know anything unless everything is in order or if you can control whatever situation or person that's involved. You want things you how you want them and to hell with everything else."

Arya pouted. "That's not true."

"But, it is," he refuted. "We only find out about your failures after you have an achievement to boast about. You don't tell us about relationships or break ups right away because you want to make sure you're not emotionally vulnerable—can't be too happy or too sad. You like neutrality, so you won't appear weak. And whenever your sense of control is threatened, you are upset and respond negatively. There isn't any real reason to get mad about a kiss that happened years ago, or how you accidentally told Ned about it, but you are. It's because you no longer have control over your personal information."

The other reason, Arya thought, was crisis prevention.

"Whatever." Arya replied, and then went to order herself two hotdogs. While she was there, she got another beer and some cookies.

'I do not have control issues.' She thought to herself. People didn't have to know all of your business. They just messed up things and Arya would prefer to have things mess up on her own terms. Or people who were intrusive and gave unnecessary advice. If she wanted them to know and give advice, she would tell them and ask for their opinion.

By the second game, Arya had calmed down and channeled her frustration into kicking her siblings asses. Robb was right, Arya did beat them the next time they played, but it was the following game and rather than the next time they visited the bowling alley. Out of ten frames, she bowled eight strikes and picked up both of her spares. Robb bowled seven strikes, picked up two spares, and split one.

"See you next week?" Robb hugged Arya tightly and she smiled.

"Of course," she responded. "When have I ever passed up food? And I live in the backyard, genius."

Robb smiled. "Oh, yeah." He kissed his little sister on her head, and then proceeded to pack up his gear. Arya had already packed her ball and put her shoes away, so she zipped up the bag and went to the car to wait for Bran and Rickon. As she was on the way to her car, Arya pulled her phone of her pocket and called Gendry.

"What's up," he said groggily.

"You were asleep," Arya asked softly.

Gendry cleared his throat. "Yeah, but I'm awake now. What's up?"

"I know this is last minute," Arya began. "But, my family is having a barbeque this upcoming Friday and I was wondering if you and Hot Pie wanted to come."

"That sounds great," he said enthusiastically. "Why did you wait until now to invite us?"

"I guess it slipped my mind," she admitted. "Does that mean that you two will come? No conflicts or anything?"

"Naw, I'm as free as a bird." Arya rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. "Don't you roll your eyes at me," he playfully chastised.

"I'm not rolling my eyes," she denied. Gendry scoffed. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are," he contradicted. "But, anyways, I would love to come to your family's barbeque. I know for a fact that Hot Pie is free, so don't worry about him."

"That's good to know," she remarked. Mischievously, she licked her lips, and then ran a hand through her hair. "So, what are you wearing?"

A deep, throaty laugh filled her ear and Arya's stomach jumped at the pleasant sound. "My birthday suit."

"Oh, so you are waiting for me?"

"Of course," he agreed. "My cock has been asking about you all day. He's homesick."

"Is he?" Arya stupidly grinned into the phone. "Well, tell Jr. that I missed him too."

As Gendry spoke to his cock, Arya laughed, and then bit her lip.

"Gendry, I'm about to face time you, so I can talk to Jr." Arya looked at the screen and push the icon and Gendry immediately answered. The first thing she saw was his erect cock. "How are you doing, J?"

Gendry put his hand to the base of his cock and began to move it, and then changed his voice to sound like Elmo as he spoke. "I'm feeling a lonely now that you are gone."

A loud bellow erupted from Arya at the absurdity of the conversation.

"I'm so sorry El—J," Arya tried to bite back more laughter unsuccessfully as she chuckled.

"Sorry, isn't going to cut it, sweet tits," he admonished. "You have to make it up to me."

"Whatever you want, Jr." She promised.

"Hmm," Gendry made his Elmo voice sound even more ridiculous. "Whatever I want."

"Anything." Gendry began to stroke himself.

"Come over," he demanded.

"I can't."

"You said whatever I wanted!" Gendry wiggled his cock frantically to indicate that Jr. was mad. Arya laughed into her hand as tears fan down her face.

"Except that," she amended. "Not tonight, but soon."

"Have you no honor?" It was all too much; the Elmo's voice, Gendry wiggling his cock, and the ridiculous conversation. Arya's belly started to ache from all of the laughing and her cheeks hurt from grinning so much.

Arya wiped her face profusely as she tried to contain her laughter.

"I have to go, J." Arya shook her head at the current situation.

"Fine," he said. "BYEEEEE!"

Of course, he would sign off as Elmo. Arya disconnected the call and her gaze lingered on the phone for a bit before she raised her head to see if her brothers were on their way. From twenty-five feet away, Arya's siblings stood in the street and stared at her. Arya's stomach dropped. She wondered how long they had been watching her. They began to walk as Sansa gave her Arya a questioning look before hiding her smile.

Robb opened his back door on the driver's side and looked over the ceiling of his car.

"Is there something we should know?"

"Like what?" Arya feigned ignorance.

"Umm…I don't know," Bran opened the passenger seat of her car. "The laughing, smiling, running your fingers through your hair shtick you had going on there. If I had to guess, it seems like you're going steady with someone."

"What? I can't have friends anymore?" Arya pushed the unlock button on her car, so Rickon could open the back door.

"No, you can." Robb closed the back door, and then opened the driver's door. "But, I've never seen you smile like that for any of your other friends. Hell, I've never seen you smile like that in any of your relationships."

"You're not around me all of the time to know that," she remarked. Her phone began to vibrate and Arya looked at it to see she had a text. Quickly, she read the text before grinning and responding.

She looked up to see Robb smirking at her.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Her older brother held his hand up in innocence. "Still didn't answer my question."

Arya sat in the sat driver's seat, and then turned on the car and rolled out the window. She popped a piece gum in her mouth and chewed for a while before seeing if Bran and Rickon were buckled up. As she pulled off she said, "Because there isn't anything to know."

But, there was and Arya wasn't ready to admit it yet.


	7. Bloodstream (Thinking About You)

"Fuck!" Arya looked at her spaghetti stained shirt. Immediately, she got a towel and began to dab at the stain. After a few minutes, she found that her efforts were for nothing and groaned.

"Just change your shirt." Catelyn suggested as she searched through the cabinets.

"But, that would require me going to the guesthouse." Arya leaned against the counter. "Maybe I could ask Sansa if I could borrow one of her shirts."

Catelyn looked at her daughter with an unbelieving expression. "Are you really that lazy that you can't walk to the guesthouse to change into a clean shirt?"

Her daughter shrugged shamelessly.

"Besides," the older Stark woman said without looking at Arya. "Have you forgotten that you still have clothes in your room upstairs?"

"Oh yeah." It was clear that Arya had forgotten about her room upstairs. "Thanks, mom." She gave her mother a kiss on the check, and then went upstairs to her childhood room.

Once she got into her room, Arya began to look for a dingy shirt to put on. It was useless to put on a clean dressy shirt when something could ruin it again before the barbeque even started. After a few minutes of searching, she found a shirt and grinned as she put it on. The shirt said Wholistic Core across the front of it and memories of her time there came rushing back to her. As she thought about her adventures at the camp, she looked for a stylish, but casual shirt, and then laid it on the bed once she found an acceptable replacement.

Even though Arya had no reason to be nervous, she was. Gendry was going to meet her parents tonight—he was going to meet her family! It wasn't as if he was her boyfriend, but still…she was having sex with him and her family could misconstrue what that meant. Arya had no idea how they would ever find that out because she wasn't going to say anything she definitely knew that Gendry wasn't. Hot Pie wouldn't dare bring it up, so she figured she was in the clear. But, the Stark clan could be very perceptive though.

Deep in thought, Arya walked out of her room and, not paying attention, bumped into Sansa.

"Sorry," she offered quickly before taking in Sansa's appearance: puffy red eyes, wet cheeks, and a runny nose. "What's wrong?"

Sansa bit her lip and wiped under her eyes. Arya grabbed her sister and pulled her into the bathroom. She pulled down the toilet seat and made Sansa sit on it as she grabbed a few pieces of tissue. After she handed Sansa the tissue, she sat on the edge of the tub and gave Sansa an inquiring look. Although Arya had no idea as to what to do in these situations, Sansa looked truly distraught and Arya was choosing to overcome her awkwardness in comforting people than to walk away and knowing that her sister was deeply upset.

In an attempt to control her emotions, Sansa looked at the tissue as she fiddled with it while tightly squeezing her lips together to prevent tears from coming. Arya reached a hand out and grabbed Sansa's hand and lovingly squeezed it.

"What's wrong," she whispered.

That was all it took. Sansa began to bawl and the younger Stark wrapped her arms around the upset woman. Heart wrenching sobs escaped Sansa's mouth as she held her sister close.

"It's not fair." Sansa shook her head.

"What's not fair?" Arya removed hair from in front of Sansa's face as she spoke soothingly to her.

"It's not fair," she repeated as she rubbed her stomach tenderly before mournfully gazing at it.

"Oh, Sansa…" Arya's heart broke for her sister. Sansa and Willas had been trying to have a baby for a while and it deeply bothered Sansa that she was having trouble conceiving. The doctors said there was nothing wrong with either of them, but they still struggle to have a child.

"I don't even know I was pregnant," Sansa choked out before frantically wiping the tears away.

"Do you think it was because…" Arya trailed off, but she could see that Sansa got her drift.

Vigorously, Sansa shook her head no. "I—I hadn't had a drink in months. Even at the bachelorette party," she explained. "I didn't want to risk it. Besides, the doctors says that sometimes pregnancies result in miscarriages even if you do everything right."

"When did you find out?"

"Two days ago." Sansa slowly shook her head. "I was having severe abdominal pain and was bleeding, so Willas took me to the hospital and that was when we…found out."

Arya hugged her sister, and then rested her chin on Sansa's shoulders as she rubbed her back. A quiet sobs traveled to her eats as she tried to calm her sister.

"It'll be okay," Arya whispered.

"No it won't," Sansa denied.

"No, it will," she promised as she held Sansa's face in her hands and looked at the older woman. "It will."

An indeterminate amount of time had passed and Arya eventually took Sansa to her room and asked if Sansa wanted their mother to comfort her, which she agreed to. Arya offered to finish up the miscellaneous tasks that were left, so her mother could tend to her sister. As she checked on some of the food, Arya began to think of how bad of a cook Gendry was. It surprised her that after all that time of living with Hot Pie, Gendry never learned to cook, or that Hot Pie never offered.

To be honest, she only learned how to cook because of Mycah. If it weren't for him, she would be in the same boat as Gendry.

When the doorbell rang, Arya wiped off her hands and went to go answer the door.

"Ned! Mycah!" Arya cheerfully hugged both of her friends. Mycah gave her a quick bear hug. Ned held his arms out and engulfed Arya in them before squeezing her tightly and placing a kiss on her forehead. He held her for a few seconds before letting go. Arya wrapped her arms around herself after Ned let her go. "Did you two come over together?"

"Yeah," Mycah answered. "My tired had a flat, so I called Ned up to see how close he was."

"Well, it's great seeing the both of you again." Arya clapped her hands together, and then rubbed them as if she had conjured up an evil plan. "But, I need you guys' help. Some unexpected issue has come up and now I need all of the help I can get."

The men complied and they got to work tying up the loose ends before the barbeque was to begin. Mycah helped out with the cooking and Ned carried or rearranged anything she needed to be done.

"What is everyone else doing?" Mycah asked as he stirred the pot.

"Bran and Rickon are with Robb. They are stuck on the expressway because of some huge accident," she explained. "You guys saw my dad out there grilling, so you know what he is doing. And my mom and Sansa are both tending to an important matter."

"Oh," Ned stood beside Mycah and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That box you asked me to carry early is too heavy." He then turned his head towards Mycah. "Do you mind helping me?"

"Sure, no problem." Mycah left to go help Ned with the box as Arya put food into the pans. She filled up a few before the guys returned.

"Did you move it?" Arya put aluminum foil over a pan before moving to the next one and doing the same thing. She didn't look at either of her friends as she spoke.

"No," Mycah shook his head, despite Arya not looking his way. "It's too heavy."

"Okay," Arya replied. "I'll get someone else to carry it later on."

"No, Arya," Ned interjected. "When we say it is heavy, we mean, it is heavy."

Arya rolled her eyes. "As I said, I'll get someone to carry it later on."

An hour later, everything was in order and Arya went upstairs to check on Sansa. Her mother and Sansa were speaking in hushed tones as Sansa laid her head on Catelyn's lap. Her sister seemed to be much calmer, but she still looked noticeably upset. Arya had brought Sansa some tea and lemon cookies to soothe her nerves and make her feel better.

When she left Sansa's room, Arya went to go freshen up and change out of her dingy shirt and into the shirt she sat out earlier. She then put on some sandals before messing with her hair. Arya had a pixie cut—she found short hair easier to manage. Besides putting soft curls in her hair, she didn't do much to it. Quickly, some lip-gloss was applied and she sprayed some perfume in the air before walking through it.

As she was completing her finishing touches, the doorbell rang. Ned and Mycah were close enough to her family and known by almost everyone she knew, that they were allowed to answer the door, so Arya ignored it. They were almost like brothers, well…not Ned because that could be a little bit weird.

After she finished, Arya double checked herself in the mirror, and then exited the room. She heard some talking as she descended the stairs.

Brightly, Arya smiled as she saw Hot Pie and Gendry, but mainly Gendry.

"Hey," she waved as she walked down the last step. Arya gave Hot Pie a quick hug and squeezed his forearm. As close as they were, it felt awkward for them to touch, even if it was in a non-sexual way.

Gendry leaned down and pulled Arya close to envelope her in his arms. Arya wrapped her arms around his neck and they embraced momentarily before Arya cupped his face and kissed his cheek. In approval, Gendry grinned before letting her go.

"Thanks for inviting us," Gendry gratefully expressed.

"Gendry, stop being stupid," Arya dismissed. "You and Hot Pie are my friends, why wouldn't I invite either of you." Gendry rolled his eyes, and then shook his head. "Did you all introduce yourselves to one another?"

"Uh, no," Ned answered as he looked at Arya strangely. "We were just telling them that they were the first ones to arrive."

"Well, Ned and Mycah, this is Gendry and Hot Pie," Arya said she pointed to each male when she said their name. "And Gendry and Hot Pie, this is Ned and Mycah."

The guys shook hands.

"Why do they call you Hot Pie," Mycah asked as he shook Hot Pie's hands.

"Because I asked them to," he answered simply. "I just love hot pie is all."

Arya slapped her forehead. "I'm such an idiot," she gasped. "Mycah and Hot Pie, you two have a lot in common or a common interest at least." She approached the two as she spoke. "Both of you are cooks, chefs, or whatever the fuck you like to be labeled."

"Oh really?" Mycah looked at Hot Pie and smiled.

"Well, my specialty is desserts, but I do work as a cook," Hot Pie explained.

"At which restaurant?" Mycah inquired. Arya left the two to converse about their love of food or whatever and walked over to Gendry.

"I have something for you to do," Arya took a handful of Gendry's shirt and pulled him, so he could follow her.

"What happened to asking first?" Arya made a face of amusement and continued to pull on him. "Hey, I am a guest! You shouldn't be putting me to work."

"But, you're my friend dofus," she remarked. "You're supposed to help out of the kindness of your heart when I need a favor."

With an exaggerated sigh he said, "Fine."

"Are you trying to get him to carry that box?" Ned followed the two of them.

"What box?" Gendry removed Arya's hand from his shirt and gave a small push to which she rewarded him with a glare. He beamed at her response.

"I just need you to move a box from point A to point B."

Ned shook his head. "That box is heavy, man. I tried to lift, and then Mycah tried to help me. I don't think you'll be able to lift it either."

Arya waved off Ned's concerns as she led Gendry to the destination of the box. With ease, the dark haired man picked up the box and followed Arya to the shed to put the box away. He looked unfazed as he carried the heavy object.

"It wasn't that heavy," he remarked after he put the box in the shed. "Perhaps Ned and Mycah were lifting from the back and not their knees."

The two exchanged knowing grins, and then Arya asked Ned and Gendry to help her move some other things while they were in a helping mood. Ned looked at some of the things she was trying to get them to move, and then looked at his outfit. He took off his shirt and sat it in a safe place. Gendry gave him a questioning glance.

"So, my shirt wouldn't get dirty."

"That's a good idea." Gendry took off his shit as well. "I'm used to getting dirty, so it's not usually a big deal, but I don't think it would be proper in this setting."

"Yeah," Ned agreed as he frowned while looking at Gendry's body.

As Gendry and Ned moved items around, Arya man watched in admiration of the male specimen. She may have not had romantic feelings for Ned anymore, but he was an attractive looking man. And, well, Gendry was Gendry. A part of her had always admired his features even if she didn't want to admit it. Gendry was muscular, but not like the guys who went to the gym everyday. Occasionally, he lifted, but the definition in his muscles came from everyday work. There was this ruggedness about him that Arya found undeniably attractive.

At that particular moment, Arya just wanted to lick Gendry from his navel all of the way to his collarbone. She wanted to taste his salty sweat on her taste buds while he groaned in pleasure. Gods, at this moment she just wanted to fuck Gendry's brains out. Inwardly, the woman groaned, she really should have taken him up on his offer a week ago.

The guys finished and Ned went to the downstairs bathroom to freshen up. Arya showed Gendry to the bathroom upstairs. As he was closing the door, she slipped in behind him.

"Arya—" Arya's lips crushing against him cut off Gendry. Out of habit, he grabbed her and pulled her closed. Amused, he smiled at Arya, and then let her go. "I have to wash up."

"I have to wash up," Arya mocked, and then bit his lips before pulling him in for another kiss. A hot tongue slid into her mouth and she opened her mouth wider to accept the intrusion. Reluctantly, Gendry pulled away and breathed heavily as he rested his head in the crook of her neck.

"Let me get cleaned up first and we can make up as long as you want," he bargained. In an efficient manner, Gendry washed the dirt off of his body, and then dried off before putting his shirt back on. From experience, Gendry knew that Arya was going to make him sit on the toilet, so as he sat down, he gestured for Arya to come straddle him. In no time, Arya was on his lap and continuing where they left off.

Firm fingers dug into her back as Gendry gently sucked on her neck before kissing a sensitive spot beneath her throat. To prevent him from stopping, Arya put a hand on the back of his head and kept his head in place. He smiled against her throat while his tongue massaged her skin. With unmeasured passion, Arya turned Gendry's head so he could face her and roughly kissed him. Slowly, the grinded against one another as low pants and soft gasps were exchanged.

Gendry secured a hand around Arya's waist and back as he stood up and, automatically, she wrapped her legs around his hips. He walked forward until her back touched the wall, and then pulled her hips against his body and began to rub his crotch against hers determinedly. Arya put one hand on his shoulder and the other grabbed his forearm as she matched his intensity. Their lips crushed together as their pleasure built.

A groan of frustration was released and Gendry undid her pants and insert a hand between her legs. Within moments, Arya cries were muffled in his shirt as he triggered her climax. After she composed herself, Gendry let her down and watched as she undid his pants. For a quick second, she browsed through the cabinets, and then pulled out a bottle of lotion. A small amount was squeezed onto her hand, and then she went to get some tissue before going back over to Gendry and to stroke his cock. As she touched him, Arya nibbled on his chin. She was torn between dragging his orgasm out and getting it over with.

For the sake of time, she increased her the intensity of her strokes. In response, Gendry whimpered in her ear and came seconds later. Arya flushed the tissue down the toilet and sprayed air freshener in the bathroom. She and Gendry smiled as they freshened up in silence. After looking at her neck, Arya discovered some marks that were not in her neck before she entered the bathroom. As she applied make up to her neck, Gendry watched her while they conversed about nothing in particular.

"Arya!" Her mother said loudly as she knocked on the door.

"Yes," Arya replied as she opened the door, and then was about to continue applying make up on her neck before thinking better of it and switched to her face.

"I was wondering—" Catelyn stared at Gendry strangely as she stopped speaking. "Who is this and why is he in the bathroom with you? And why were the doors locked?" Her mother looked at her daughter as if she was crazy.

Gendry stood up straight and went over to shake Arya's mother's hand. In distrust, Catelyn shook it.

"Mom," Arya smiled. "This is my friend Gendry and we were in the bathroom with the doors locked because we were having a private conversation."

"In the bathroom? With the doors locked?" Catelyn gave her a disbelieving look.

Arya raised an eyebrow. "Would it be any better if we were in my bedroom with the door locked?"

"No," Catelyn immediately responded. "I would prefer if you weren't in rooms with the door locked."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stark," Gendry said shyly.

Catelyn ran a hand through her hair and looked at him then her daughter. "It is a pleasure to meet your too Gendry…"

"Waters," he supplied.

"Waters," she repeated. It looked as if the wheels were turning in her head as she processed the name. "It is a pleasure to meet you too and it would be a greater pleasure if Arya had mentioned you before."

"Mom," Arya groaned. "You don't know all of my friends."

"True," she conceded. "But, I also haven't met any of them in the bathroom that was previously locked."

"We were having a private conversation and I didn't want to be interrupted," she lied. "Besides, I'm 25 years old. I'm not a kid."

"As true as that may be, you are still in my house."

Arya rolled her eyes, and then closed her make-up case. "What was it that you wanted, mom?"

"Oh…I was just wondering what was taking you so long in the bathroom, but now I know." She gave Gendry as once over as if she was sizing him up. As she walked out, she turned and looked at him again. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Waters."

"Nice meeting you too, Mrs. Stark."

As they walked down the stairs, Arya heard her father speaking. When Gendry and Hot Pie had arrived, Ned had left to run an errand, so she hadn't gotten a chance to introduce them.

"Dad," Arya said to get his attention as she walked over to him.

"Hey, sweetheart," Ned looked at her daughter, and then Gendry. His eyes widened in surprise. "Who is your friend?"

"Dad, this is Gendry," she gestured to Gendry. "And, Gendry, this is my dad."

"Hello, sir," Gendry said nervously. He firmly shook Ned's hand and forced himself to smile.

"Hi," Ned said back. "What is your last name if you don't mind me asking?"

"Waters," he supplied. Ned nodded his head ever so slightly and was about to say something before someone called his name.

"It was nice meeting you…Gendry?" Gendry nodded that Ned's guess of his name was correct as Ned gave him a tight smile. "Well, I have to catch up with someone, but we'll talk later."

Gendry looked frightened at the thought, but agreed. Arya rolled her eyes at him and they made their way to the backyard. They found Hot Pie and Arya decided to give them a tour of the mansion. The guys stared in awe at the size of her parent's estate. Nymeria had joined them in the middle of Arya's tour and the men were scared of the direwolf before Arya explained they had nothing to fear if they didn't threaten her.

As Arya guided them around, she gave some background on her family and told anecdotes about her family and her most vivid memories in certain areas of the house. They laughed at her stories and encouraged Arya to tell more of her childhood stories. She then led them to the guesthouse, which was near the lake in their backyard as well as the horse stable.

The tour ended when Arya brought them to an area where she practiced her archery.

"Gods," Hot Pie said as he picked up a bow. "I haven't shot an arrow in years."

Arya handed him an arrow and encouraged him to shoot it. Hot Pie tried, but the arrow didn't reach the target. Arya and Gendry laughed and shook their heads. It wasn't like Hot Pie had been good at archery to begin with.

Gendry picked up a bow and arrow for himself and after he made sure everything was in order, shot it his arrow hit the target, but it wasn't as precise as it was at camp Wholistic Core.

"Gendry," Arya called him attention.

"What?" Gendry lined up another shot.

"Here," Arya slightly lifted his elbow and straightened his back. "Okay."

She stepped back as Gendry shot the arrow. It was closer to the center this time, but was still off.

"Stop aiming," she critiqued.

"But, how am I supposed to know what to hit," he questioned.

Arya made Gendry line himself up again. She straightened his back, lifted his elbow and whispered, "Your eyes knows where it wants the arrow to go. You are taking too much time trying to aim, it's counterproductive."

The arrow hit the dead center of the target. A low whistled came from Gendry's mouth as he turned and looked at Arya. They grinned at each other before someone cleared their throat to get their attention.

"Jon," Arya said excitedly as she ran to her half brother. Arya gave hugged her brother tightly at the unexpected surprise.

"Can you loosen you grip a bit," Jon gasped. "I can barely breathe."

"Sorry," she apologized as she gave one last squeeze before letting him go. "I just missed you is all."

Jon smiled at his sister and pulled her in for another hug. "I missed you too." After having small took with his favorite sister, her half brother looked at the two guys Arya had been with. "Who are your friends?"

"Oh, right," Arya mentally chastised herself for forgetting that her friends were here as well. Even though Jon had gotten married two weeks ago, she hadn't spoke to her brother in a while. The wedding had been hectic and they never got a chance to sit down and talk. As she said their names, she pointed to them. "Gendry and Hot Pie."

In amusement, Jon raised an eyebrow at Hot Pie's name and shook both of the men's hands.

"And, as the both of you may have guessed," Arya patted Jon on his shoulder. "This is my favorite brother, Jon."

"I can see that Arya has told you all about me, but I know nothing about either of you." Jon crossed his arms and looked at his sister.

Arya mimicked her brother and crossed her arms, and then looked at him. "As your lovely new bride has said for years, you know nothing, Jon Snow." Jon mock glared at her, which made the young woman smile. "Gendry is a mechanic and Hot Pie is a cook. Both of them are from King's Landing, but moved to Winterfell a few years ago. Anything else, dad?"

Jon ignored her, but didn't ask anymore about Hot Pie or Gendry. He knew his sister would volunteer more information when she was ready to and it isn't as if she was dating either of them. They were just friends and he could learn more about them at a later time.

For a while, the four of them played Frisbee with Ghost and Nymeria. It was really a combination between throwing it to each other and the direwolves. Arya asked Jon about work and if he was taking the desk job that had been offered. Her brother explained that he had accepted and that Ygritte wouldn't be on the battlefield anymore herself. The both of them wanted to start a family, especially Ygritte. Mrs. Snow may have been fiercely independent and didn't care for gender roles or adhering to them, she wanted to give Jon as many kids as she could.

Ygritte loved being on the battlefield, but she loved Jon more. He never asked her to switch to a desk job, but if that meant she got to see her husband more and so they could have more time to work on making babies, she was all for it. Despite this, Arya never thought of Ygritte's decisions as changing who she was and accepting gender roles. It was easy to see how much she loved Jon and wanted to create a family with him.

Eventually, Ned, and her other brothers joined them and they played a few short games of ultimate Frisbee. After every game, they would switch up the teams to rotate the players since there were an odd number of people. In a unanimous decision, the group went to go grab a plate to eat. Every single one of them stacked their plates with food and grabbed water and soda's.

"Rickon, you're such a cheater," Arya accused as she sat down at the table and Ned sat next to her.

"No, I'm not," he denied, and then laughed. "You're just a sore loser."

Arya threw a grape tomato at him, which he dodged, and then stuck out his tongue before getting hit the second time. She took a few bites of her food before stopping and looking around.

As she got up, she said, "I'm going to get some water."

On her way back to the table, Arya noticed that Gendry couldn't find a seat near her, so he sat on the other end of the table. Without a second thought, she picked up her food and joined him at the other side. She missed Ned's hurt expression when Arya switched her seat.

"Are you trying to avoid me?" Arya teased after she sat down and sipped her water.

A smile played on Gendry's lips at her words. "Yes, and then you found me, so I clearly didn't do a good enough job."

"Clearly," she retorted, and then stuffed more food in her mouth.

Arya and Gendry became lost in their own little world as they conversed about various topics. Seamlessly, they could transition between topics even the ones that weren't remotely related. It was one of the things she enjoyed about Gendry: they always had something to talk about. And, even when they didn't talk, they enjoyed their silences together.

"Do you mind?" Arya gestured towards his cake to indicate that she wanted some.

"No." Gendry shook his head and picked up his plate and tried to give it to her. Arya looked for a clean fork, but couldn't find one. "You can use mine," he offered as she took the plate and the fork from him. They took turns eating the big slice of cake. Gendry left to go use the restroom.

"Eddard fucking Stark," a familiar voice boomed.

"Yoren!" Catelyn said in chastisement and shock at seeing an old face.

"Sorry, Cat," he threw over his shoulder before he and Ned hugged one another.

"Gods, its been years, Yoren; I didn't think you were going to come."

Yoren chuckled and took the beer his friend handed him. "I wasn't." He said seriously before a bellow erupted from him and Ned laughed with him. "It's been too long. I know a lot of people, but you are one of the few people I consider a friend, so I figured that I should visit and catch up with you and the rest of your family."

The two men spoke for a bit, and then Ned looked at his family. "It's been decades since you've seen the kids; you probably don't remember who they are or which is which."

"No, I remember," he said proudly. He pointed to each of the Stark children and correctly named them. Yoren went in order of age. "Robb, Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon."

"No way," Catelyn said in amusement. "How did you remember? And Rickon, he was in my stomach the last time I saw you."

"Yeah, but I remember that you were naming him Rickon," Yoren replied, and then looked at Ned. "I haven't seen most of your kids in decades, but I have seen Arya. I am a dean at Wholistic Core."

"Really?" Ned rubbed his beard. "And you never said anything until now. You could have called me."

"You were a very busy man around that time," he explained. "But, if the name wasn't a dead give away, her Northern features sure as hell were."

Ned beamed brightly at the last remark. As they spoke more about the kids, Gendry walked outside.

"Gendry?" The man in question looked at his former dean.

"Yoren," Gendry was surprised to see Yoren, but happy at the same time. "Hello, sir." The younger man shook the older man's hand enthusiastically. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." Yoren looked at Gendry, and then Arya.

"How do you know Gendry?" Ned inquired.

"He was at the camp at the same time as Arya—Hot Pie too." Yoren nodded over to his other former camper. The dean had noticed him earlier, but didn't say anything because he noticed Hot Pie was trying to hide. "The three of them were inseparable—more so Arya and Gendry."

In that moment, Arya's stomach dropped. This didn't feel right. Everything was all wrong and she was on the verge of panicking. She wished Yoren would shut the fuck up or that he would leave. It wasn't that Arya didn't like Yoren, but she had a bad feeling. Gendry looked at his friend in confusion as a thousand thoughts ran through her head.

"It was Gendry, wasn't it?" Ned asked across the table. Fury raged in his eyes and the wheels turned in his head. "Gendry was the one you almost had sex with when you were at Wholistic Core."

Arya froze as if she was a deer in highlights.

Sansa choked on her chicken as she looked at Gendry, and then Arya.

"What is he talking about?" Yoren demanded.

"Yeah, what is he talking about" Ned asked once he processed the information. Arya said nothing. "What is this about you almost having sex with Gendry when you while you were at camp?" Anger colored his voice as he scowled at the dark haired man.

"But, we didn't, dad," she answered weakly. "Nothing happened."

"I don't call almost having sex nothing happening," Catelyn supplied with incredulity dripping in her voice. "Just because it wasn't sex doesn't mean that nothing happened."

Before Arya could explain the situation or attempt to, Jon ran over to Gendry and sucker punched him in the face. Instantly, Gendry fell to the ground and Jon landed a few more blows and a kick in the groin before Yoren restrained him. In pain, Gendry writhed on the ground before curling into the fetal position while harshly gasping.

"Let go of me!" Jon frantically tried to pull his arms out of Robb and Yoren's grip. Robb looked torn between letting his half brother go so he could continue to kick Gendry's ass and keeping a hold of Jon to prevent further injury to the guy.

Arya ran over to Gendry, and then crouched over him to check on him and see how serious his injuries were.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Jon!" Arya inspected Gendry's face after she turned away from her brother.

"What is wrong with me?" Jon tried to free himself once again. "This sack of shit took advantage of you—he almost got into your pants! Why are you mad at me for protecting you whens he should be mad at that piece of scum!" Jon's face was red and spit flew from his mouth as he spoke.

"He didn't take advantage of me, Jon," she yelled back. "We almost had sex because I wanted to have sex. I was the one who allowed it to go that far—hell, I wanted it to go further than it did. Gendry was the one who put a stop to it."

"Oh please," her brother scoffed. "He was playing games with you, Arya! He wanted you to believe that he was respecting you by stopping, but it was all a game just to make you want him more. It's obvious that you don't understand how guys think."

Arya abruptly stood up and walked over to Jon. Anger shined brightly in her eyes while she glared at her favorite brother as she was about to speak, her mother said:

"How could you allow something like that? Arya was only a kid!" Catelyn accused as she looked at Yoren. Her demeanor reeked of outrage and it looked like she wanted to hit the dean. "You were supposed to protect her."

Betrayal echoed in Yoren's eyes as he held Jon back. As if she was guilty, Arya cowered at his anger.

"Yoren," she pleaded. "I—"

"Save it, Arya," his tone was clipped. "You promised me you wouldn't go near Gendry."

"I didn't!" Yoren stared at her unbelievingly. "Well, I did, but that was before our talk—weeks before. I kept the promise the I made to you."

"What promise?" Ned, Catelyn, Robb, Jon, and Gendry all asked at the same time.

Arya turned to Gendry as he gasped in pain on the ground and he asked again, "What promise?"

"I made Arya promise to keep her hands to herself because she was going to get you in trouble," Yoren stressed trouble as he stared at the girl in question. "Apparently, I got to her a little too late." A beat, then sarcastically, "Is there any other incident I should know about?"

A slight blushed covered Arya's cheeks. Yoren stared at her incredulously. "It was two times total and both times was before we spoke." As if to help her case, she added, "And the second time didn't go nearly as far as the first."

It was important to Arya that Yoren knew she had kept her word, despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in years. She knew that Yoren had been trying to look out for her and Gendry—mainly Gendry—, which she appreciated. As the years passed, Arya gained a better understanding of how her actions could have led to very serious consequences for Gendry. People wouldn't care how mature she seemed, they would just look at her age and color Gendry as a predator and send him off to jail. Yoren had knew better and saw what was going on and talked some sense into her before it was too late.

Arya wasn't one to let her emotions or desires do the talking, but back then, they had definitely spoken for her. Gendry did share some blame in letting things get as far as they did, but Arya most certainly forced matters. What amazed her most was how much resistance and self-control Gendry possessed. She has heard of guys who crumbled under less pressure, but not Gendry. He had a ready and willing girl in his arms, literally, and he turned down both opportunities. Some guys would try to justify giving in, but he refused to.

"But, not because of a lack of trying, right?" Yoren yanked Jon back as the young man tried to rip his arm away. "You see what I was trying to tell you then? Gendry is the villain in all of this while you are branded as a victim."

"Because she was a fucking victim, you idiot!" Jon turned his head and glared at Yoren as if to size him up.

Yoren shook his head. "You don't want any of this, kid." He looked at Arya, then Gendry before glancing at the people at Ned. "When I had realized that Arya and Gendry's relationship had changed…that the lines were becoming blurry, I should have separated them immediately. But, one of the philosophies of the camp was to treat the kids like young adults and I believed that whatever what was going on between them would work itself out."

"But, Arya was a kid, not a young adult," Catelyn stated. "This is what happen when you give children the privileges of adults."

"And you know what happens when you treat a young adult like a child," Yoren slowly looked at Catelyn. "They act out. Arya didn't have a behavioral problem when you sent her to me; she had a temperament issue, which is a difference. She may have been quick to anger, but she rarely ever fought. Before she was sent to Wholistic Core, her latest two incidences were with Joffrey Baratheon. And from what we know about him, that kid is so evil Satan himself asks for advice as to how to torment others." There wasn't any disagreement with his last statement. "It's quite clear, you sent Arya away because of politics not because she was necessarily troublesome." Yoren let the statement soak in for a moment. "As to why we treat 'kids' like young adults: when you respect young adults beliefs AND make them accountable for themselves, they are more likely to respond positively. Arya was already a good 'kid' when she got to the camp, but became an even better one when she left. We couldn't put her with kids her age because her maturity and intellect was that of one who exceeded 14 year olds. It would've been counterproductive, so we put her around individuals who complimented her as a person."

Catelyn softened at his explanation. Anger still radiated throughout her body, but she did see his logic regarding Arya. His actions were well thought out and illustrated that he had wanted the best for Arya. It was one of the reasons that Ned and she had sent Arya to that specific place—not only did they say they cared about the well being of your child, the words really reflective that as well.

"Remember when she got her citizenship award," Catelyn's eyes widened in recognition. She remembered being very proud of Arya that day. "If you recall, it was mentioned that she taught two people how to read. That was Hot Pie and Gendry. Neither one of them could read past a seventh grade level. Arya took time out of her day to help them. Guess where they grew up: Flea Bottom. We are all familiar with the way of life there." Ned, who had been observing and taking everything in, had looked at Gendry, "Even then, Gendry was a smart guy and very well mannered. You could tell after their first activity together that they just clicked. He always had her back and was always looking out for her. Always. So, if you want to know why I had him around her and didn't separate them immediately, it's because they had a positive impact on one another both socially and emotionally. I didn't want to ruin that."

Ned rubbed his beard in thought. Yoren had very good reason to do what he did, but Arya had still been young. The idea of his little girl almost having sex at such an age—at any age really—unsettled him. There was an age difference and fifteen year olds shouldn't be allowed that much autonomy. The little bit that Arya had been given almost led to her losing her virginity to a guy who could legally drink. At that age, the age gap had been too wide and Yoren should have kept a better eye on them.

"Yoren, as mature as Arya may have acted, she was not ready for that type of…intimacy." Ned finally voiced. "As much as I can understand why you were reluctant to act, Arya was still young."

"She was sure as hell ready!" Yoren quipped. Before Ned could say anything else, he continued, "You weren't there, Ned; you didn't see what I saw. I agree Arya was not ready for the emotional part of sex, which was another reason I made sure that it didn't happen. But, as soon as she experienced her sexual awakening, Gendry had a bull's eye on his back—he was a walking, talking target. Arya was determined to get him into bed even if she didn't realize it at the time. Every time I turned around, Arya was touching him in an increasingly intimate way and isolating him from other people. You could see on Gendry's face that he was about to break at any moment, so we started giving him shit to do to decrease the amount of time they spent together, but that didn't deter Arya. The day I had had enough, Arya had her hand on the inside of Gendry's thigh very close to his cock." Yoren could see Ned processing daughter's actions. "Gendry may have been older, but he followed Arya's lead. She was the one who called the shots. Hell, you all even heard Arya say that she initiated it Gendry was the one to stop it—both times."

Yoren looked at the two and they blushed.

"I just—" Ned rubbed his face roughly. "I don't know what to think right now." In deep thought, he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. Arya may have had agency in all of this, but she was just a kid. "Gendry, I need you to leave. A part of me understands the dilemma you were in, but another part of me views you as this creep who tried to take advantage of my daughter."

Gendry got up without saying anything and started to walk towards the fence that led to the front of the house.

"Where are you going?" Arya looked livid as she jumped up after Gendry. She turned her back to her family and walked towards Gendry before stopping in front of him.

Confused at Arya's response, Gendry stared at her wordlessly for a moment before speaking. "Your dad just told me to leave."

"And you're just going to walk away!" Arya violently hit the air as she spoke before running her fingers through her hair. "You aren't going to defend yourself and explain your side of the story?" Angrily, Arya pushed Gendry.

Calmly, Gendry held his hands up and said, "Calm down, Arya."

"Calm down? Calm down!" There were so many things that Arya wanted to say, but a million thoughts were running through her head all at once. She was torn between telling him to fuck himself and giving Gendry the worst verbal beat down of his life.

Meanwhile, Gendry stared helplessly at his lover and best friend. He had no idea what she wanted him to say or do. Arya could be unpredictable like that: the right answer could be wrong and the wrong answer could be right, but you never knew which route to go when she was upset. As well as Gendry liked to believe he knew Arya, she could be an enigma. Something was better than nothing in her eyes. And inactivity was the worst sin you could commit against her. But, what could he do? Her dad just dismissed him from the property.

Arya was one of the most intelligent people he knew, but she had an irrationality streak in her from time to time. Even if the choice is wrong and didn't make any sense, any other option would be seen as a betrayal in her eyes. Whether she was in the right or wrong, Arya knew how to hold a grudge and only time dictated if she would get over it. More times than not, she did get over grudges that were irrational, but Gendry couldn't discern the true reason for why she was upset now. He knew that Arya wanted him to stay, but at the same time, she heard her father uninvited him from the barbeque. Logically, Arya would know that her desire for him to stay was trumped by Ned's wish for Gendry to leave, which mean that her anger stemmed from another reason.

Before this conversation, nothing seemed amiss with Arya. Gendry was pretty good at detecting when she was upset about something, so he wondered what set her off during the conversation and even more so when he tried to leave. She seemed to be more angry with him and not her parents, brothers, or even Yoren. Why was she solely angry with him? What about Ned? He started the whole mess to begin with?

"What else could I've said? Yoren said all there was to say." Wrong answer. Rage exploded from Arya as she pushed Gendry again and again and again.

"Yoren said all there was to say," she mocked. "Get the fuck out of my face! Leave—I don't want you here anymore!"

"Arya," Gendry pleaded. He didn't understand what he did wrong.

"No! There is no point in you being here, right? Yoren said everything and, not only has my father told you to leave, I just told you to leave. Now go!" Harsh pants came from Arya's mouth as she tried to get her breathing under control. Solemnly, she shook her head, and then bit her lip. A bitter laugh came from her mouth as tears rebelliously left her eyes. Profusely, she wiped her face, but they kept coming.

"Ar—" The woman held her hands up to stop him.

Again, she laughed humorlessly. "I—I can't believe you're going to abandon me again." As she spoke her voice cracked, "I mean…I'm old enough now, right? I'm not some 15-year-old little girl who you can't touch because you'll go to jail. And, still, you choose to leave." Gendry picked up the subtext. She was accusing him of not caring for her.

"Abandoning you?" Gendry looked offended at her accusation. "What the hell is going on here, Arya? For the past few months, I've worn my heart on my sleeve for you—I told you that I loved…that I wanted to be with you and you turned ME down!" Anger tinged Gendry's voice as he pointed to himself. Gradually, tears fill his eyes, but didn't spill. "And just because I won't argue with your father suddenly I'm abandoning you and—and you mean nothing to me? That is such bullshit and you know it. You got some fucking nerve. You're family knew nothing about me until today. I've never been over your place until today, but I'm the one in the wrong for not fighting your dad! I don't think you care for me at all; I seem to be more of a dirty little secret than anything else. You fuck me and leave; you lie to your family about where you are—can't let your family know that your fucking some poor guy from the wrong side of the tracks. Hell, I'm just a warm body until you decide to go back to Ned or Aegon."

Arya was overwhelmed and wounded, but irate. How could he…how could he think that? She didn't want to admit that he had a point. Arya hadn't even introduced Gendry to any of her other friends as well. He was right; he was a secret, but not a dirty secret. Yet, she was still pissed off. That was not the point. He was turning this around on her when he was the one who was leaving—again.

"OR am I some charity case?" He yelled passionately. "Did you draw your lines so that I knew not to ask for more? Or did you figure that I wasn't going to ask since this was the best I was going to get? I get to fuck you, right? What more could I possibly ask for? I sure as hell wasn't supposed to ask you to be my girlfriend and to meet your family. How dare I, right? I should know my place by now."

"Get out of my face!" Arya screamed in an abrupt manner as she pointed in the direction that Gendry had to take in order to leave. "Get the fuck off of my property!"

Gendry's jaw tightened and he gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Gladly," he responded in a clipped tone. As he walked away, he threw over his shoulder, "I wouldn't want to get in the way of your reunion with Ned."

"Fuck you!" A tightening sensation developed in Arya's chest as she watched Gendry walk away.

He turned around and walked backwards as he addressed her. "Been there, done that."

A lump form in her throat as Gendry disappeared from her line of vision. Her and Gendry had never argued before. Never. They had small disagreements that they usually got over seconds later. They could never stay mad at each other for too long. But, this felt too real…too permanent. Did Gendry really just walk away from her? Did she really just ask him to? Why did Ned have to say anything? Why was it so important to him to name Gendry as the guy she almost had sex with? Now her family knows about it and hates him and Gendry is upset with her.

In all the time that they had known one another, Gendry has never been mad or angry with her. Not truly. But, this was different. All of his anger and insecurity had been brewing and brought to the surface and Arya hated to admit that she was the cause of that. Without meaning to, she had hurt him with her rejection in response to a committed relationship and not returning his love. For months, he kept quiet and played by her rules, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut at her accusations.

He didn't understand.

Arya wasn't ashamed of him and he wasn't some charity case—she wanted to protect him, to protect them. For years, she carried a torch for him despite being in relationships with other men. She had loved Ned and that went away. She had loved Aegon, but it wasn't enough to keep them together. Arya was afraid that her love for Gendry might disappear if they were in a real relationship.

A sharp pain shot through Arya's lip as she tried to prevent tears from falling, but it was useless: they fell anyways. Silent choked sobs wrecked her body while she brought her hands to her face to wipe her tears away. After she was done, she covered her eyes and continued to cry.

He left.

Gendry left.

Someone had placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. When Arya turned to look at the person, she found Sansa staring at her sympathetically. Roughly, she wiped her face again as she tried to figure out what to do next.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Gendry was supposed to come over and meet her family and that was all. Her family wasn't supposed to find out about that night and she and Gendry weren't supposed to be mad at each other. Fucking Ned. Fuck! Why did he have to say anything?

Abruptly, Arya turned around and faced the table. Catelyn audibly gasped at her daughter's bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks. It was a rarity to see Arya cry and, even then, she would only shed a few tears. Her youngest daughter was truly upset and that devastated her. Ned went to comfort his daughter, but she shrugged him off and went her ex-boyfriend.

"Leave." Arya demanded with venom in her voice. "Leave now!"

"But, Arya, I—"

"I don't care!" She shouted. "I don't want you here. I don't want to see you and I don't want you near me or—or in the same place that I'm at." For a moment, she looked at her hands, and then gaze shifted back to him. Her tears started to fall down her face again. "This is your fault."

With that, she left the table and went to her childhood bedroom. It was closer and she just wanted to lie down.

He left.

This wasn't her. Arya didn't cry over boys. She didn't cry when she broke up with Ned, but she was upset at the fact that she had hurt him. Despite no longer wanting to be with Ned, Arya did still care for him and considered him a friend. That honeymoon period of having a boyfriend wore off and Ned wasn't able to meet her emotional needs. He didn't challenge or stimulate her. If they had stayed together it would have only been for his benefit and not hers.

With Aegon, everything felt right, but she'd been slowly drowning in their relationship. Their time together had been right for that moment and to go on any longer would've been foolish. Love didn't have an expiration date, but relationships did. Arya didn't want their relationship to deteriorate to a point of no return and eventually come to resent one another. She supposed that her beliefs were hypotheticals and could have been wrong, but she hadn't regretted calling off the wedding and not continuing her relationship with him.

Yet, her heart ached for Gendry in ways it never had before. That was new. Perhaps, her heart always ached for him and only recently it had been acknowledged. He was here and very real. Arya got to touch and do all of the things she had fantasized about when she was younger. But, she had been scared to give him anything more. Terrified even. And now her worst nightmare has come true. He left. He had walked away, but this was her fault. She only gave so much before pulling away. She had encouraged him to spill the contents of his heart, but gave him measured hope. Gendry bared it all while she kept her cards close to her chest.

Why did people enjoy falling in love again?

Sansa peaked in Arya's room as she knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" Sansa's gave Arya a warm stare and small smile.

"I don't care," Arya mumbled.

Sansa gestured for Arya to sit up. "Come on, Arya."

"Sansa," Arya warned.

"Get up," her older sister said sternly. Arya didn't felt like arguing, so she sat up. Sansa grabbed Arya by her shoulders, and then pulled her sister's head into her lap. "You love him." Soothing fingers brushed her scalp as she spoke. "You have for years."

"Is there a point you're trying to make?" A stray tear fell on Sansa's skirt.

"Yeah," she remarked. "That you're stupid."

"Excuse me?" Arya turned her head to face her sister.

"You heard me." She grabbed Arya's chin and slightly shook it. "I don't know anything about your relationship with Gendry, but it's clear that you care about him a great deal and that you're in love with him. Whatever he has done in the past or whatever slight he committed against you is not too big to be overcome. But, you are so scared of realized and unrealized fears that, you're acting stupid. I may not know Gendry, but it was pretty apparent that he returns your feelings just as much, if not more." Sansa's thumb rubbed Arya's cheek. "You need to deal with whatever fears you have. It's the only way your relationship will have a real shot at working because whatever you're doing now isn't working… That is, if you want to be with him."

"I do want to be with him."

"Then, why aren't you acting like it?"

Arya knew what she wanted; she just had to show Gendry that he was who she wanted.


End file.
